English · Idiom Candidate

long arm of the law

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Law enforcement's power and influence can reach anyone, anywhere.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

sự ảnh hưởng và quyền lực của cơ quan thực thi pháp luật có thể tới được bất kỳ ai, ở bất kỳ nơi nào

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Literally: the idea that the law has a long, reaching arm

Where it’s used: Used Widespread English

Examples

The criminal thought he could escape, but the long arm of the law caught up with him.

AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.

Topics: Arms

Common questions

What does “long arm of the law” mean?

Law enforcement's power and influence can reach anyone, anywhere. Literally: the idea that the law has a long, reaching arm

Is “long arm of the law” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.