Skip to Content

English Club : Learn English : English Language Reference

Reference : Sayings : Modern : Crime doesn't pay

Next >

Crime doesn't pay American English

Possible interpretation: If you engage in illegal activities, you will not make money in the long run.

Note: crime (noun): activity that is against the law | pay (verb): be profitable or advantageous

Origin: First used in the USA at least as early as 1927, this saying became the slogan of the USA's FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and the American comic-strip detective Dick Tracy created by cartoonist Chester Gould in 1931.

Variety: This is typically used in American English but may be used in other varieties of English too.

Quick Quiz:

The saying "Crime doesn't pay" suggests that you can make money by
  1. stealing
  2. working
  3. informing

Discuss: Crime doesn't pay

Saying of the Day

This entry is in the following categories:


EnglishClub.com - because people speak English