kings have long hands

kings have long hands

proverb The controlling sovereign or government of a given nation has broad, far-reaching power and influence that it can use to control or punish people. You do realize that the government is able to track just about every move you make, right? Remember—kings have long hands. The brigands thought they would be safe hiding out in this small provincial town, but kings have long hands, and they were eventually caught and hanged.
See also: hand, have, king, long
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • teach a man to fish
  • it takes a village
  • village
  • best-laid plans go astray, the
  • the best-laid plans
  • the best-laid plans go astray
  • the best-laid plans of mice and men
  • for want of a nail
  • For want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse ...
  • tomorrow never comes