Skip to main content

Difference between Let someone off and Let someone off the hook

admin Confusing Phrases

let someone off—excuse a person; not punish severely enough:

  • “Are you going to let him off?” demanded Denny suspiciously. “You never can be stiff in the back, Charley.”

let someone off the hook —(also: get someone off the hook) free a person from difficulty, an embarrassing situation, etc.:

  • The officer was pretty surprised at my tenacity, and it motivated him to let me off the hook.