Slovak: In for a penny, in for a pound

[Mindset]

Looking for a translation of the English idiom "in for a penny, in for a pound", that is, having started something, you must go all the way. Or the equivalent "may as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb" -- if you're going to do something wrong, it might as well be for something major rather than something minor. In Slovak, ideally, but other Slavic languages (Czech, Croatian, Serbian) might do if there's nothing else. Thank you all so much!

 

[Panceltic]

I can offer a Slovenian idiom:

Kamor je šel bik, naj gre še štrik.

‘Where the bull went, may [its] rope go too’

 

[Enquiring Mind]

Welcome to the forum, mindset! Have you got a particular context in mind? It seems to me that "in for a penny, in for a pound" doesn't always necessarily convey the same nuance as "may as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb".

Here's one option (Slovak: keď už, tak poriadne - literally: if so, then properly) where "in for a penny, in for a pound" in the sense of "might as well go the whole hog" doesn't have the negativity of "may as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb". The comment notes that the hotel where William and Kate stayed was "palatial", exceeding even five-star hotel standards.

Aj kráľovská rodina dovolenkuje. A keď už, tak poriadne. Hotel du Palais, kde sa zdržiavajú bol vyhlásený za "palácový", pretože jeho štandardy prevyšujú klasické pät'hviezdičkové hotely sveta. (lepsiebyvanie.pluska.sk)

(Idiomatic, not literal: ) When the royal family go on holiday, it's in for a penny, in for a pound ...
(Idiomatic, not literal: ) When the royal family go on holiday, they might as well go the whole hog ...
When the royal family go on holiday, they may as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb ...

In Czech, když už, tak už might be suitable (with the same caveat as above), depending on the specific context. In this example, they talk about how secondary-school students might choose to change their image from "regular guy/girl" to "rebel" for their graduation ball, in particular by "going the whole hog" and getting a wild hairstyle for the occasion.

Když už tak už. Pokud plánujeme radikální proměnu. - Plesová sezóna je v plném proudu. Maturanti chystají své večírky. Pokud jste se rozhodli že ke změně vaší image musí dojít a z "hodné holky" nebo "kluka" se má stát rebel, jistě uvažujete o změně radikální. ... (idnes.cz)

 

[jasio]

Looking for a translation of the English idiom "in for a penny, in for a pound", that is, having started something, you must go all the way.

In Polish I would say "jak już się powiedziało 'A', teraz trzeba powiedzieć 'B'", literally 'once you've said 'A', you must now say' 'B'.

Slovak: keď už, tak poriadne - literally: if so, then properly.

In Polish there is a similar phrase "jak już coś robić, to porządnie", but it seems to have a different connotation. I would use it if I were asked to do something quick-and-dirty, while I'd prefer to deliver higher quality work (because of safety reasons, professional pride, a sense of obligation, or whatever). And, unlike the line above, it does not have that connotation, that once you've got your feet wet, you may now (or even should) go to swim.

But indeed, a full context would be handy, @Mindset.

 

[AutumnOwl]

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[cHr0mChIk]

A Serbian idiom comes to mind:

"Kad je bal, nek' je bal"

Which translates to "If it's a ball dance, may it be a ball dance." kinda...

 

[Mindset]

Thank you all so much! @Enquiring Mind, it's in the context of a story I'm working on - someone asked a rather invasive question, surprisingly got an answer, and is deciding to press on with even more invasive questions despite the chance of a negative reaction. If his thoughts were in English, there would be probably be something like the pun of "in for a penny, in for a pounding", but I'm considering keeping his more idiomatic thoughts in his native language. Interestingly, @cHr0mChIk's answer seems to fit well, might see if I can work with that...