in for a penny, in for a pound

English

Etymology

Originally with reference to the fact that if one owed a penny, one might as well owe a pound (pound sterling, UK currency) as the penalties for non-payment were virtually identical in severity.

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪn fəɹə ˈpɛ.ni ɪn fəɹə paʊnd/
(US) IPA^(key): /ɪn fɔɹ ə ˈpɛ.ni ɪn fɔɹ ə paʊnd/
Audio (AU) (file)

Idiom

in for a penny, in for a pound

Having started something, one must see it through to its end, rather than stopping short; one must “go the whole hog”.
- 1964, J. F. Holleman, Experiment in Swaziland: report of the Swaziland sample survey, 1960, p. 9:
  Under the circumstances it seemed to be a case of ‘in for a penny, in for a pound’. If the Institute’s team were still prepared to accept the challenge, the Administration was willing to do likewise…
- 1964, Sanki Ichikawa, The Kenkyusha Dictionary of Current English Idioms, p. 509:
  …in for a penny, in for a pound: if one undertakes something, it must be carried through at whatever cost.
- 2001, B. J. James, A Lady for Lincoln Cade, p. 159:
  Turning before the mirror, she studied the gown she’d spent much of her savings on in Belle Terre. “Okay, but not great. In for a penny, in for a pound. Soon I have to get a job.”
- 2002, Kathryn Wall, In for a Penny: A Bay Tanner Mystery, p. 123:
  I rummaged in my bag for Miss Addie’s keys, turned off the car, and marched purposefully toward the building.
  “‘In for a penny, in for a pound’”, I mumbled under my breath as I pushed open the door and headed for the elevator.
- 2004, M. Mihkel Mathiesen, Global Warming in a Politically Correct Climate: How Truth Became Controversial, p. 133:
  It appears to be a situation where the greenhouse proponents are in for a penny, in for a pound. As long as the myth needs to be kept alive, this is the inescapable conclusion.

Synonyms

in for a dime, in for a dollar
in for an inch, in for a mile

Antonyms

If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.
It's never the wrong time to make the right decision

Translations

Expressing recognition that one must, having started something, see it through to its end, rather than stopping short thereof

Catalan: perdut per perdut, la manta al coll, perdut per perdut, m'agafo allà on puc
Chinese: 一不做，二不休 (zh) (yī bù zuò, èr bù xiū)
Czech: když už, tak už
Dutch: wie a zegt, moet ook b zeggen (literally “who says a, must say b, too”)
Esperanto: kiu sin enjungis, devas tiri (literally “whoever harnessed oneself must pull”)
Finnish: asiat pitää viedä loppuun asti; joka leikkiin ryhtyy, se leikin kestäköön
French: quand le vin est tiré, il faut le boire (fr) (literally “when the wine is drawn, one has to drink it”), le premier pas engage au second, qui dit A, doit dire B (literally “who says a, must say b”)
German: wer A sagt, muss auch B sagen (de) (literally “who says a, must say b, too”); wenn schon, denn schon (de) (literally “if [we do it] at all, then [let us] actually [do it right]”)
Hindi : कोशिश से बाज न आना (kośiś se bāj na ānā, literally “never stop at trying”)
Hungarian: aki á-t mond, mondjon b-t is
Irish: ó loisc mé an choinneal loiscfidh mé an t-orlach
Japanese: 毒を食らわば皿まで (ja) (どくをくらわばさらまで, doku wo kurawaba sara made, literally “if you have eaten the poison, [lick] even the plate”)
Macedonian: а́ко е бал, не́ка би́де ма́скенбал (áko e bal, néka bíde máskenbal)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: har man sagt A, må man også si B (literally “who says A must say B, too”)
Portuguese: perdido por cem, perdido por mil (literally “lost by a hundred, lost by a thousand”), perdido por um, perdido por mil (literally “lost by one, lost by a thousand”)
Russian: взя́лся за гуж — не говори́, что не дюж (vzjálsja za guž — ne govorí, što ne djuž)
Spanish: de perdidos al río (literally “from lost to the river”)