long arm of the law
Justice's extended grasp
The long arm of the law refers to the far-reaching power and authority of legal systems and law enforcement to find and punish wrongdoers.
The phrase suggests that criminals cannot easily escape justice, no matter how far they run or how cleverly they hide.
It typically appears in contexts emphasizing that someone will eventually face consequences: He thought he could flee to another country, but the long arm of the law caught up with him.
- policeCivil law enforcement
- officerAuthority figure in uniform
- law enforcementUpholding legal codes
- extraditionFugitive transfer between jurisdictions
- justiceFair treatment under law
Interpol · enforcement · detective · cold case · apprehension · sheriff · trooper · patrol car · jurisdiction · habeas corpus · authority · warrant · inescapable · surveillance · international law · border control · arrest · citizen's arrest
long arm of the lawimpunity
Freedom from consequences
lawlessness · getting away with it · above the law · legal loopholes · untouchable
long arm of the laworganized crime
Structured illegal enterprise
the underworld · the mob · criminal enterprise · outlaw · fugitive
long arm of the lawanarchy
Disorder from absent authority
lawlessness · chaos · Wild West · no man's land · failed state
long, longer, longest, longish, longing, longingly, length, lengthen, lengthy