English Idiom – Rob Peter to pay Paul.
Meaning – To solve a problem in a way that makes another problem worse. If you rob Peter to pay Paul you borrow money from one person to pay another person – you are simply moving the problem rather than solving the problem. To incur a debt in order to pay off another debt.
Usage:
When could you use this idiom?
- Somebody asks you to lend them money, so they can pay off another debt.
- A person is paying off a debt with a credit card.
- Your football team needs to sign successful new players but can only do so by selling successful existing players.
Example:
- “I won’t lend you anymore money. I know you are skint, but you can’t keep borrowing money from me to pay your debts. You are robbing Peter to pay Paul!”
In The News:
“We quickly realized that it wasn’t sustainable (or recommended!) to ‘rob Peter to pay Paul’ so we pulled the trigger on three new tanks including our two largest to date…”
Discuss:
- Is there an idiom like this in your country?
What is an idiom?
An idiom is a word or phrase that is not taken literally. An idiom is an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its individual words, but has a separate meaning of its own.
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