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Definition 2024


in_for_an_inch,_in_for_a_mile

in for an inch, in for a mile

English

Proverb

in for an inch, in for a mile

  1. (chiefly US) Given that one is partly involved in orcommitted to a project, action, position, etc., there is no reason to refrain from becoming fully involved or fully committed.
    • 2005, Bill Burt and William D. Burt, The Downs, ISBN 9781579217976, p. 29:
      Afterwards, she took him farther south. His uneasiness grew with every step. . . . "In for an inch, in for a mile," he muttered.
    • 2007, Maggie Petsch, "American oystercatcher shots are memorable," Daily News (Galveston, Texas), 31 Dec (retrieved 16 July 2009):
      I soon found the water lapping at my toes so I figured, “in for an inch, in for a mile” and continued on in after the oystercatcher.

Synonyms