poacher turned gamekeeper
A person now charged with protecting what they formerly preyed upon.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The former thief is now a security guard, a real poacher turned gamekeeper.”
“After years of hacking into company servers, he now works in cybersecurity, a classic case of a poacher turned gamekeeper.”
“The regulator, once a notorious corporate lobbyist, exemplifies the poacher turned gamekeeper, now enforcing the very laws he previously spent his career dismantling.”
The figurative sense is a self-evident metaphor from the literal occupation. The notion that those who once hunted illegally are best suited to guard the land has circulated for centuries, appearing in various forms as an observation on the utility of an inside perspective.
William Tinsley recorded the sentiment in his memoirs, noting the old saying that the most expert poachers make the best gamekeepers. Tinsley himself remained unconvinced of the logic, observing that he did not think the saying was true as a rule. Despite his scepticism, the phrase persisted as a shorthand for the shift from subverting a system to maintaining it.
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Buggins's turn
A humorous, disparaging term for the appointment of a person by rotation or promotion, on the basis of length of service (it being that person's "turn") rather than merit or level of qualification.
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everything one touches turns to gold
Everything someone uses or does succeeds or becomes better.
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everything one touches turns to shit
Everything someone uses or does fails or becomes worse.
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good turn
A good deed; a thoughtful or selfless act.
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left turn
An unexpected change from the way things seemed to be going.
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serve the turn
To suffice for one's immediate purpose or need.
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star turn
An acting performance which causes the performer to become renowned.
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take a turn
Change in direction, tone, or tendency.
Last updated August 10, 2026