The term hook or by crook has its origins in 13th century England and is said to have come from the practice of having allowed commoners to take as much wood from a royal forest as they could reach with a shepherd's crook and cut down with a billhook.
As the term evolved, it came to mean “by any means necessary.” In some circles, not only did it come to mean that someon would exert a great amount of energy to get something done, but also would use dishonest means to accomplish the task. In fact, crook would soon also come to describe a petty criminal.