aki kapja, marja

Hungarian

Etymology

Literally, “whoever can seize it, takes it”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɒki ˈkɒpjɒ ˈmɒrjɒ]

Phrase

aki kapja, marja

1. (idiomatic) It's catch-as-catch-can. (one can use any available means or methods)

Usage notes

• Explanation of saying: When several people compete for something, the stronger or the more aggressive will win.
• The Latin phrase capiat qui capere potest (literally “let him take who can take”) is an almost exact equivalent, translated in Sir Walter Scott's novel Kenilworth as “catch who catch can”, and in the novel's Hungarian translation by Balázs László as aki kapja, marja.
• Stephen King's crime novel Finders Keepers (2015) was translated to Hungarian as Aki kapja, marja.

Coordinate terms

• szabad a vásár