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Showing results for off the hook. Search instead for off+the+hook.
Synonyms

off the hook

Idioms  

  1. Also,. Released (or be released) from blame or annoying obligation, as in He was out of town during the robbery so he was off the book, or I don't know how the muggers got off the hook, or Once they found the real culprit, they let Mary off the hook. This idiom alludes to the fish that manages to free itself from the angler's hook and get away. [Mid-1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But they are not off the hook yet, as they will be defendants in several upcoming bellwether trials.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

He wants to see proof that the DOJ was given inaccurate information by ICE before he lets its lawyers off the hook.

From Slate • Mar. 27, 2026

“My phone is ringing off the hook from service providers who are demanding to be paid,” Horvath said Tuesday.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

Lawyers for EarthJustice said the court “could let pesticide companies off the hook — even when their products make people sick.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2026

Officer X was off the hook, which meant that maybe he wouldn’t hate me more than he already did.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.