By any means, fair or foul

I don't like my job but, to survive, I have to stick to it, by hook or by crook

Non mi piace questo lavoro, ma devo farlo per amore o per forza se voglio tirare avanti

You have to get this job done by tomorrow, by hook or by crook

Devi fare assolutamente questo lavoro per domani, per amore o per forza

I need my money back and you have to find it by hook or by crook

Ho bisogno dei soldi che ti ho prestato; devi assolutamente restituirmeli di riffa o di raffa

Knowing that "the end justifies the means", you should carry out your project by hook or by crook

Ricordando che "il fine giustifica i mezzi", dovresti riuscire a portare a termine il tuo progetto di riffa o di raffa

The phrase "with hook or with crook" appears in one of John Wyclif's works of 1380, meaning much what it does today. The most plausible of the many explanations given for this expression is that under the medieval English laws regulating the king's forests, people were allowed to pick up dead wood from the ground or horse branches from the trees which could be brought down "by hook or by crook", that is, a reaper's hook or a shepherd's crook