From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishby hook or by crookby hook or by crookDETERMINEDif you are going to do something by hook or by crook, you are determined to do it, whatever methods you have to use The police are going to get these guys, by hook or by crook. → hook
Examples from the Corpus
by hook or by crook• The police are going to get these guys, by hook or by crook.• If she set her mind on something, then she had to acquire it, by hook or by crook. 