beat the system
Game the rules
To beat the system is to achieve a goal by circumventing or exploiting rules, procedures, or bureaucratic structures rather than following them as intended.
The phrase suggests cleverness in navigating obstacles that others accept as immovable: He figured out how to beat the system and get his parking tickets dismissed.
It can imply anything from savvy self-advocacy to outright cheating.
- outsmartDefeat through superior cunning
- subdueBring under control
- circumventAvoid by going around
- fly under the radarEvade attention deliberately
- subvertSecretly weaken authority
bypass · workaround · hack · undermine · stick it to the man · cut corners · loophole · bend the rules · cheat · game · shortcut · Machiavellian · manipulate · grey area · creative accounting · tax dodge · under the table · flout
beat the systemplay by the rules
Follow accepted procedures
follow the rules · toe the line · conform · comply · play it straight
beat the systemtrust the process
Believe in systematic progress
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