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poacher

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
old poacher makes the best gamekeeper
Prov. The best person to guard something is someone who knows all about how to steal it, so he or she can anticipate what thieves might do. We should hire the computer hacker to design computer security systems. An old poacher makes the best gamekeeper.
See also: best, gamekeeper, make, old

a poacher turned gamekeeper  (British)
someone whose job seems to involve working against the person who is now doing the job which they did before
Usage notes: A poacher illegally kills and steals animals on someone else's land, and a gamekeeper's job is to stop this from happening.
He used to be the the union rep but now he's in management - a case of poacher turned gamekeeper.
See also: gamekeeper, turn


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