| dish out dish out (something) to give something too freely and in large amounts. The mayor was famous for dishing out political favors to his pals. Usage notes: often it is criticism or unfriendly remarks that are dished out: She dished out insults as easily as some of us dish out praise. sometimes appears as the full expression you can dish it out but you can't take it - you can give criticism freely but you cannot deal with it yourself: I try not to argue with him because I know he can dish it out but he can't take it. Related vocabulary: dish the dirt on someone/something Etymology: based on the literal meaning of dish out food (= to serve food) |