it is easy to find a stick to beat a dog

English

Proverb

it is easy to find a stick to beat a dog

1. (rare or obsolete) If a person is determined to punish or blame someone, they will find a way or a reason to do so.
   • 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:

     The ancient Prouerbe will be well effected,
     A Staffe is quickly found to beat a Dogge.

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume III, London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book v:

     For all this, however, poor Tom smarted in the flesh; for though Thwackum had been inhibited to exercise his arm on the foregoing account, yet, as the proverb says, It is easy to find a stick, &c. So was it easy to find a rod; and, indeed, the not being able to find one was the only thing which could have kept Thwackum any long time from chastising poor Jones.

Translations

Translations

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 欲加之罪，何患無辭／欲加之罪，何患无辞 (zh) (yù jiā zhī zuì, hé huàn wú cí)

• Czech: kdo chce psa bít, hůl si vždycky najde (cs)
• Polish: jak się chce psa uderzyć, kij się znajdzie (pl)

See also

• look for a dog to kick