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Phrase(s): Kings have long arms. [and] Governments have long arms.
Prov. Those who are in power can always catch and punish people who have opposed them, no matter how far away those opponents may go. • After his attempt to assassinate the king, the prince sailed to a distant country, although his wife warned him it would be to no avail. "Kings have long arms," she reminded him.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs