give and take
give and take
1. noun The exchange of mutual compromise or concession; negotiation, bargaining, and/or compromise. Sometimes hyphenated. There's always going to be some give and take when new legislation is introduced in politics. You won't get far in this business if you aren't willing to allow a little give-and-take with your competitors.
2. noun Lively two-way discussion; the exchange of ideas or conversation. Sometimes hyphenated. The purpose of this meeting is to have a bit of give-and-take between employees and the management for ideas on the direction of the company.
3. verb To compromise or concede; to negotiate, bargain, and/or compromise. You have to be willing to give and take when you enter politics, otherwise nothing will ever get done.
4. verb To engage in lively two-way discussion; to exchange ideas or conversation. The university has set up an online forum so students are able to give and take with the administration.
See also: and, give, take
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
lot of give-and-take
1. Fig. a lot of two-way discussion. It was a good meeting. There was a lot of give-and-take, and we all learned.
2. Fig. a lot of negotiating and bargaining. After an afternoon of give-and-take, we were finally able to put all the details into an agreement.
See also: lot, of
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
give and take
1. The practice of compromise, as in Every contract involves some give and take. This expression was first recorded in 1778, although the verbal idiom, to give and take, was used from the early 1500s.
2. Lively exchange of ideas or conversation, as in The legislature is famous for raucous give and take. [Second half of 1800s]
See also: and, give, take
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
give and take
COMMON If you talk about give and take, you mean the way in which two people or groups in a relationship accept that they cannot have everything that they want and that they must sometimes give the other person or group what they want. All good partnerships involve a bit of give and take. There is usually a fair amount of give and take in a trading relationship. Note: You can use give-and-take before a noun. You never get everything you wish for in these give-and-take situations.
See also: and, give, take
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
give and take
1 mutual concessions and compromises. 2 exchange of words and views.See also: and, give, take
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
ˌgive and ˈtake
be willing to listen to other people’s wishes and points of view and to change your demands, if this is necessary: If we want this marriage to be successful, we both have to learn to give and take. ▶ ˌgive and ˈtake noun: We can’t all expect to have exactly what we want. There has to be some give and take.See also: and, give, take
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
give and take
Mutual concessions; a fair exchange. Used as a noun, this expression dates from the eighteenth century. (The verbal form, to give and take, dates from the early 1500s.) One writer believes the phrase originated in British racing and denoted a prize for a race in which larger horses carried more weight and smaller ones less than the standard. “Give and take is fair in all nations,” wrote Fannie Burney in Evelina (1778), echoed in T. C. Haliburton’s Wise Saws (1843): “Give and take, live and let live, that’s the word.” See also live and let live.
See also: and, give, take
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- lot of give-and-take
- medium
- find a happy medium
- strike a happy medium
- hit a happy medium
- reach an accord
- naughty but nice
- reach an agreement
- round robin
- a round robin