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I am looking for an idiom or a metaphor that implies or states the act of robbing through violent ways.

The closest metaphor that I could think of (tho, I would strongly prefer to find an idiom) is "Hit people in the head". However, this denotes an act of violence without implying an act of robbery.

Context (example sentence):

A condition attributed by collective thinking that imposes loneliness to me, and the latter isn’t a volition anymore. However, how can I live outside society? Word would spread everywhere I would go, and I do not have enough money to move to another country. What could I do? _____("Hit people in the head"), deepen myself on a dark path and spend the rest of my days in miserable decadence?

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    Maybe you could “become a mugger”
    – Jim
    Commented Feb 13, 2017 at 5:43
  • @Jim I am looking for an idiom or a metaphor which would fit the description.
    – GabrielGhz
    Commented Feb 13, 2017 at 7:02
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    Even if it's not a metaphore: What about "become a ruffian" (a violent person, especially one involved in crime.) ?
    – Graffito
    Commented Feb 13, 2017 at 8:39
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    The Become a mugger... fits the description perfectly, it is a person who uses violence in order to steal things from their victims. Hit people in the head is not necessarily a metaphor, heck, it's a pretty good description of a violent action.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Commented Feb 13, 2017 at 8:41
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    Perhaps "Wallow in crime and violence" ?
    – Graffito
    Commented Feb 13, 2017 at 11:47

4 Answers 4

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I think the most natural English phrase that would fit your context would be "Turn to a life of crime, deepen myself...."

It doesn't necessarily mean that the subject would fund their new lifestyle through violence, but that they would be living and financing their life outside the law.

You could always qualify it with "Turn to a life of violent crime" if the violent aspect is important.

It's not an idiom as such, but then, as Mari-Lou pointed out, neither is "Hit people in the head"!

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Robbing itself is the act of thieving using coercion/force. So a Robber would be a proper word to.

You can use some alternatives like Marauder/Plunderer

Maruad

"go about in search of things to steal or people to attack."

Plunder

"steal goods from (a place or person), typically using force"

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  • Cheers. However, I am looking for an idiom/metaphor which corresponds to the description.
    – GabrielGhz
    Commented Feb 13, 2017 at 7:00
  • You could say "Become a Bandit"? /"Become an outlaw"?
    – Suyash Thite
    Commented Feb 13, 2017 at 7:28
  • None of them is an idiom or a metaphor.
    – GabrielGhz
    Commented Feb 13, 2017 at 8:18
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If you do not mind using a legal term, then "strong arm robbery".

https://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/what-is-strong-arm-robbery.html

Strong arm robbery is a type of specific intent crime of larceny (theft). It is generally committed through the use of a weapon in combination with the threat of force, actual force, or intimidation. Larceny is legally defined a the unlawful taking and carrying away of a person’s property, with the intent to permanently deprive them of the property. An example of strong arm robbery is when a person robs a bank with the use of a firearm and carries off some stolen cash. Another example is using a weapon to force a victim to hand over something of value, such as a money, wallet, purse, or vehicle

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  • I asked this 3 years ago and it seems today it became a popular question haha. Thanks for your suggestion!
    – GabrielGhz
    Commented Mar 13, 2020 at 2:02
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"Dabble in the art of the fingersmith"

"Help myself to a five-finger discount"

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    I'm not sure that they both apply to the act of robbing through violent ways.
    – KillingTime
    Commented Mar 12, 2020 at 16:50

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