give (someone) enough rope
If you give someone the opportunity to do something wrong or detrimental to themselves, they will usually do it; one does not need to interfere to bring about someone's downfall. The full version is "Give one enough rope, and one will hang oneself." Don't interrupt him with questions. Just let him keep talking and he'll incriminate himself. Give him enough rope and see what happens. Tom keeps bullying me to see if he can get a reaction. So today, I just let him carry on until I knew the boss could hear us, and Tom got fired for it. Give someone enough rope and they'll hang themselves! Look, you don't have to do anything to undermine Bill, just give that fool enough rope to hang himself!
give (someone) enough rope, and they will hang themselves
proverb If you give someone the opportunity to do something wrong or detrimental to themselves, they will usually do it; one does not need to interfere to bring about someone's downfall. Don't interrupt the suspect, just let him keep talking. Give him enough rope and he will hang himself. Tom keeps bullying me to see if he can get a reaction. So today, I just let him carry on until I knew the boss could hear us, and Tom got fired for it. Give someone enough rope and they'll hang themselves! Look, you don't have to do anything to undermine Bill, just give that fool enough rope, and he'll hang himself!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
Give someone enough rope and he'll hang himself
. Prov. If you give someone that you suspect of bad behavior the freedom to behave badly, eventually he or she will be caught and punished. Jill: I think Matilda's been stealing things out of my desk. Should I tell the boss? Jane: No; give her enough rope and she'll hang herself. One of these days she'll steal something important, the boss will find out for himself, and he'll fire her.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.