Idioms

a law unto yourself

a law unto (oneself)

Someone who does whatever they desire, ignoring the rules and regulations. If you need to delegate, I wouldn't ask Gina—she is a law unto herself, and it's hard to persuade her to do anything she's not interested in. How many times has Jason been arrested now? Geez, he sure is a law unto himself! The country will be met with swift sanctions if their president continues to act as a law unto himself.

See also: law, unto

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

a law unto yourself

COMMON If you describe a person or organization as a law unto themselves, you mean that they do what they want, ignoring laws, rules, or usual ways of doing things. He does his work well but in an unconventional way. He is truly a law unto himself. Most athletic departments are pretty much a law unto themselves — unaccountable in terms of where this money goes.

See also: law, unto

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

See also:

References in periodicals archive

And when some of Taylor's members demand the outrageous wages that result in fans paying up to PS60 for a ticket, I'd have thought being a law unto yourself was something Taylor (above, left) welcomed.

Taylor's law out of order

After a jury found him guilty of blackmail, Recorder John Muir described Thoms' behaviour as "deplorable", telling him: "You seem to have considered yourself a law unto yourself with no concerns about how your actions would affect hard-working, honest members of the public."

Prison record of neighbour from hell

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