a poacher turned gamekeeper



a poacher turned gamekeeper

  (British)
someone whose job seems to involve working against the person who is now doing the job which they did before
Usage notes: A poacher illegally kills and steals animals on someone else's land, and a gamekeeper's job is to stop this from happening.
He used to be the the union rep but now he's in management - a case of poacher turned gamekeeper.
See also: gamekeeper, poacher, turn

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Hortense[hɔ:'tens]
TÂNia-Portuguese
Eliakim-Biblical
CliffKLIFEnglish
PiroskaPEE-rosh-kawHungarian
&Aelig;Lfswi&Thorn;-Anglo-Saxon