highway

daylight robbery

Fig. the practice of blatantly or grossly overcharging. It's daylight robbery to charge that amount of money for a hotel room! The cost of renting a car at that place is daylight robbery.

See also: daylight, robbery

highway robbery

outrageous overpricing; a bill that is much higher than normally acceptable but must be paid. (As if one had been accosted and robbed on the open road or in broad daylight.) Four thousand dollars! That's highway robbery for one piece of furniture! I won't pay it! It's highway robbery!

See also: robbery

highways and byways 

1. major and minor roads. The city council voted to plant new trees along all the highways and byways of the town.

2. Cliché routes and pathways, both major and minor. I hope I meet you again some day on life's highways and byways.

See also: and, byway

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daylight robbery  (British, American & Australian) also highway robbery (American & Australian)

a situation in which you are charged much more for something than you think you should have to pay Three pounds for an orange juice? It's daylight robbery!

See also: daylight, robbery

the highways and byways  (literary)

the highways and byways of a place are its roads and paths (usually + of ) They travelled the highways and byways of Britain to find people who could still sing the old traditional folksongs.

See also: and, byway

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highways and byways (slightly formal)

large and small roads The two friends traveled America's highways and byways from New Hampshire to California.

See also: and, byway