rob peter to / and pay paul

/ɹˈɒb pˈiːtə tʊ and pˈeɪ pˈɔːl/

/ɹˈɑːb pˈiːɾɚ tʊ ænd pˈeɪ pˈɔːl/

[phrase]

to rob peter to / and pay paul

[PHRASE]

to take or borrow money from one person in order to give or lend it to another

What is the origin of the idiom "Rob Peter to pay Paul" and when to use it?

The idiom "rob Peter to pay Paul" originated from the historical practice of taking funds from one church (dedicated to Saint Peter) to support another (dedicated to Saint Paul). The idiom is now used to describe a situation where someone attempts to solve a financial problem or debt by borrowing or taking from one source, but this action may create a new problem or debt elsewhere. It highlights the short-term nature of such solutions and the potential for unintended consequences.

Examples

1. Robbing Peter and paying Paul never works, but I guess you have to learn it the hard way.

2. - We're gonna have to rob Peter to pay Paul a little, I think.

3. So you're kind of robbing Peter to pay Paul and you're getting a poor job on both ends.

4. Let's rob Peter to pay Paul in the hope that we get Paul's vote, all of this madness that is part of American politics you won't find in Scandinavia.