rob Peter to pay Paul

rob Peter to pay Paul
To use resources that legitimately belong to or are needed by one party in order to satisfy a legitimate need of another party, especially within the same organization or group; to solve a problem in a way that makes another problem worse, producing no net gain.

[I]t would be robbing Peter to pay Paul, for the government to pay a stamp-duty to itself.


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  • rob Peter to pay Paul — 1. To deprive one person in order to satisfy another 2. To raise a loan to pay off a debt • • • Main Entry: ↑rob * * * rob Peter to pay Paul phrase to take money that was intended for one particular thing and spend it on something else Thesaurus …   Useful english dictionary

  • rob Peter to pay Paul — {v. phr.} To change one duty or need for another; take from one person or thing to pay another. * /Bill owed Sam a dollar, so he borrowed another from Joe to pay Sam back. He robbed Peter to pay Paul./ * /Trying to study a lesson for one class… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • rob Peter to pay Paul — {v. phr.} To change one duty or need for another; take from one person or thing to pay another. * /Bill owed Sam a dollar, so he borrowed another from Joe to pay Sam back. He robbed Peter to pay Paul./ * /Trying to study a lesson for one class… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • rob peter to pay paul — If you rob Peter to pay Paul, you try to solve one problem, but create another in doing so, often through short term planning …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • rob Peter to pay Paul — ► rob Peter to pay Paul deprive one person of something in order to pay another. [ORIGIN: probably with reference to the saints and apostles Peter and Paul; the allusion is uncertain.] Main Entry: ↑rob …   English terms dictionary

  • rob Peter to pay Paul —    If you rob Peter to pay Paul, you try to solve one problem, but create another in doing so, often through short term planning.   (Dorking School Dictionary)    ***    If someone robs Peter to pay Paul, they pay one debt with money borrowed… …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

  • rob Peter to pay Paul — move money from one part of a budget to another    If we use grocery money to buy gas, we rob Peter to pay Paul …   English idioms

  • Rob Peter to pay Paul —   If you rob Peter to pay Paul, you try to solve one problem, but create another in doing so, often through short term planning …   Dictionary of English idioms

  • rob\ Peter\ to\ pay\ Paul — v. phr. To change one duty or need for another; take from one person or thing to pay another. Bill owed Sam a dollar, so he borrowed another from Joe to pay Sam back. He robbed Peter to pay Paul. Trying to study a lesson for one class during… …   Словарь американских идиом

  • rob Peter to pay Paul — take from one person or thing to pay another When the government began to take money from education to pay for the medical system it was like robbing Peter to pay Paul …   Idioms and examples

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