poacher turned gamekeeper
- noun
:
cazador furtivo convertido en guardabosques
- After years of illegal fishing, he became a poacher turned gamekeeper and now protects local rivers.
Examples
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The politician, once accused of corruption, is seen as a poacher turned gamekeeper after his anti-fraud campaign.
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Her journey from activist hacker to cybersecurity consultant is a classic poacher turned gamekeeper story.
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The former poacher turned gamekeeper now protects the wildlife.
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A poacher turned gamekeeper can change their ways.
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After years of illegal hunting, he became a poacher turned gamekeeper and now helps conserve endangered species.
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Her transition from illegal wildlife poacher to a poacher turned gamekeeper has inspired many in the conservation community.
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The former poacher turned gamekeeper now educates others on the importance of protecting natural habitats.
Synonyms
A person who used to hunt animals illegally but now protects wildlife
How Reformed
Surface Forms
Morphology
poacher + turn + gamekeeper
The phrase is directly compositional: 'poacher' + 'turned' (change into) + 'gamekeeper' signals a change of role from illegal hunter to wildlife manager, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can infer the meaning. This use of 'turned' to indicate a change of state is a regular, cross-linguistic pattern and therefore readily predictable rather than idiomatic.
Etymology
Poacher turned gamekeeper comes from the clear picture of a poacher, 'someone who secretly hunts animals', later becoming a gamekeeper, 'a person who watches and protects wild animals'. So, it means someone who moves from 'breaking the rules' to 'enforcing the rules' or protecting what they once harmed.