camel's nose

English

Etymology

The root phrase is usually claimed to be a saying of Arabs or Middle Eastern cultures, roughly as follows:

Do not allow a camel to put his nose under the edge of your tent, for soon you will have a camel in your tent.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

camel's nose (plural camels' noses)

1. (idiomatic) A situation where the permitting of some small act will lead to a larger undesirable act or circumstance.

See also

• foot in the door
• give them an inch and they'll take a mile
• slippery slope
• thin edge of the wedge

References

• Trilateralism: The Trilateral Commission and Elite Planning for World Management - Page 232 by Holly Sklar - Business & Economics - 1980
• One Nation, Uninsured: Why the U.S. Has No National Health Insurance - Page 43 by Jill Quadagno - History - 2006
• Into the Black: JPL and the American Space Program, 1976-2004 - Page 101 by Peter J. Westwick - Transportation - 2006