🤝 Possession is Nine Points of the Law 📜
🎩 Definition: To hold or control something gives one a greater advantage than simply claiming ownership or control. This term dates back to the late sixteenth century.
📚 Origin & Historical Context: An early appearance in print was in T. Draxe’s, Bibliotheca Scholastica (1616): “Possession is nine points in the Law.” Later references sometimes put it at eleven points, but nine is what has survived. The nine points in question are:
- A good purse (much money): Cash is king, particularly in legal skirmishes where financial muscle can hire the best counsel.
- A good deal of patience: Let’s face it—legal matters can drag on for eons!
- A good cause: Having a legit reason always helps, doesn’t it?
- A good lawyer: Perry Mason never hurt anyone in this list 🤷.
- Good counsel: Wise advice, whether from a lawyer or a life guru.
- Good witnesses: Honest folks lending credence to your claim.
- A good jury: Let’s hope they favor your side!
- A good judge: Fair play from the bench.
- Good luck: Sometimes, you just need a four-leaf clover in your back pocket.
With these advantages, one is apt to win one’s case. Today, however, the term is used more in the sense of squatter’s rights—that is, “I have it; just try and take it away from me”—than in any strict legal sense.
📖 Punchline Synonyms and Antonyms:
- Synonyms: “Possession is ten-tenths of the law,” “Finders keepers, losers weepers,” “In hands, stays in hands.”
- Antonyms: “Bound by red tape,” “Paper tiger.”
🤔 Humorous Angle: “Possession is nine points of the law, and, let’s be honest, maybe ten bottles of aspirin too.”
✨ Similar Terms:
- Squatter’s rights
- Finders keepers
- Literary Recommendations:
📚 Books:
- Bleak House by Charles Dickens - A deep dive into the dusty maze of the British legal system.
- The Trial by Franz Kafka - Because sometimes the system just doesn’t seem fair.
🎬 Movies:
- Erin Brockovich - The tale of a woman fighting against all odds in a legal battle.
- A Few Good Men - Never underestimate the power of witnessing (and good luck).
🎶 Songs:
- 🎶 “I Fought the Law” by The Clash - Reflects the sentiment of relentless legal battles.
- 🎶 “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor - For when you’re in the legal ring and can’t afford to lose!
📜 Quotes & Proverbs: -“Possession may be practical but gained with a theoretical twist.”
🎴 Farewell Thought: May you always find yourself in possession of what matters most and have the wit to keep it. In the courtroom of life, humor and wisdom are your best advocates.
