take into one's own hands, to

take into one's own hands, to

To assume responsibility or management. This term was first used with respect to taking the law into one’s own hands— that is, replacing the established authority with one’s own. Thomas Dekker used it in The Seven Deadly Sinnes of London (1606): “They . . . take the law into their owne hands.” The expression still is used in this way and usually implies disapproval.See also: own, take