A friend in court makes the process short.
A friend in court makes the process short.
Meaning in plain English
Someone familiar with a decision-making process may help another person navigate it more quickly. The saying can describe useful guidance, but it also invites questions about favouritism and unequal access.
Example
A committee member explains where a newcomer should submit a proposal.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The friend in court stands close to people or procedures that an outsider finds difficult to reach. Their knowledge or willingness to speak can shorten a process that otherwise feels obscure. A broad reading concerns access to any organised group, not only a courtroom. Help can be legitimate when it explains the same procedure available to everyone. It becomes troubling when a private connection replaces fair consideration or exempts someone from shared rules. The sentence records the advantage a connection may supply; it does not establish that the advantage is deserved. Its application should distinguish guidance from a favour that disadvantages others.
When to use it
Use it to discuss how connections affect access.
Keep in mind
A quicker process is not necessarily a fairer one.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-04. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- Dictionary of Quotations (1893)
Printed citation: Pr. · page_006
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗
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