thin end of the wedge
thin end of the wedge · thin end of the wedges
Something that if allowed or accepted to a small degree would lead to systematic…Something that if allowed or accepted to a small degree would lead to systematic encroachment.
Meaning
1 senses(idiomatic)Something that if allowed or accepted to a small degree would lead to systematic encroachment.
The MP told parliament that legalising cannabis would be the thin end of the wedge.
Dictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.