“It takes a thief to catch a thief”: meaning, origin and examples
What it means
The phrase It takes a thief to catch a thief suggests that someone who has experience or skills similar to those of a wrongdoer is better equipped to understand and catch them. It implies that understanding or thinking like a thief is necessary to catch one.
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Where it comes from
The phrase set a thief to catch a thief is a proverb dating back to the mid-seventeenth century, first documented in a play published in 1665, where it was referred to as an “old saying.” It may have been influenced by a remark in an epigram by Callimachus, an ancient Greek writer, which conveyed a similar idea.
Examples
- The cybersecurity expert used to be a hacker himself, proving it takes a thief to catch a thief.
- Hiring the former conman as a consultant actually helped the police solve the case, showing that it really does take a thief to catch a thief.
- They say it takes a thief to catch a thief, which is why they recruited someone with insider knowledge to tackle the issue.
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