To go round Robin Hood's barn
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To arrive at the right conclusion by very roundabout methods.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “To go round Robin Hood's barn” mean?
To arrive at the right conclusion by very roundabout methods.
Is “To go round Robin Hood's barn” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.