English Idioms About “Law”
Idiom: Possession is nine points of the law
Meaning: Possession is nine points of the lawis a phrase used to suggest that if you really possess something, you will easily claim its ownership than someone who just says it belongs to him or her. The phrase comes from the early English property system, where the right to possession of property was endorsed by the king in the form of nine traditional writs. These writs evolved into the nine original laws defining property ownership, hence the expression “possession is nine points in the law.”
Example: The jacket you are wearing is presumed to be yours, unless someone can prove that it is not. Possession is nine points of the law.