crime doesn't pay
proverb Ultimately, crime does not benefit the criminal, and only results in negative consequences. The billboards are designed as reminders that even minor fraud convictions carry serious consequences—crime doesn't pay. After I was convicted, I lost 10 years of my life in prison. Trust me, crime doesn't pay. A: "Why would I shoplift?" B: "For the rush, man!" A: "Yeah, that's not a good enough reason. Crime doesn't pay."
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
Crime doesn't pay.
Prov. Crime will ultimately not benefit a person. No matter how tempting it may appear, crime doesn't pay.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
crime does not pay
Lawbreakers do not benefit from their actions. For example, Steve didn't think it mattered that he stole a candy bar, but he's learned the hard way that crime does not pay . This maxim, originating as a slogan of the F.B.I. and given wide currency by the cartoon character Dick Tracy, was first recorded in 1927. There have been numerous jocular plays on it, as in Woody Allen's screenplay for Take the Money and Run (1969): "I think crime pays. The hours are good, you travel a lot."
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.