1
general::
Take from one to give to another, shift resources. For example, They took out a second mortgage on their house so they could buy a condo in Florida? they're robbing Peter to pay Paul. Although legend has it that this expression alludes to appropriating the estates of St. Peter's Church, in Westminster, London, to pay for the repairs of St. Paul's Cathedral in the 1800s, the saying first appeared in a work by John Wycliffe about 1382.
American Heritage Idioms
2
general::
Phrase(s): rob Peter to pay Paul
Fig. to take or borrow from one in order to give or pay something owed to another. • Why borrow money to pay your bills? That’s just robbing Peter to pay Paul. • There’s no point in robbing Peter to pay Paul. You will still be in debt.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs