give (someone) an inch and they'll take a mile

Yield only a little and you’ll be taken advantage of. This expression began life as a proverb, “Give him an inch and he’ll take an ell,” cited in Heywood’s 1546 collection. Around the turn of the twentieth century mile entered the picture, as in W. D. Steele’s The Man Who Saw Through Heaven (1927): “Give these old fellows an inch and they’ll take a mile.”

词组	give (someone) an inch and they'll take a mile
释义	give (someone) an inch and they'll take a mile give (someone) an inch and they'll take a mile Yield only a little and you’ll be taken advantage of. This expression began life as a proverb, “Give him an inch and he’ll take an ell,” cited in Heywood’s 1546 collection. Around the turn of the twentieth century mile entered the picture, as in W. D. Steele’s The Man Who Saw Through Heaven (1927): “Give these old fellows an inch and they’ll take a mile.” See also: and, give, inch, mile, take The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer See also: eat one's cake and have it, too, to can't see the forest/wood(s) for the trees teach a man to fish village it takes a village know what/which side of the bread is buttered (on), to which way the wind blows, (to know) be the spice of life the best-laid plans the best-laid plans of mice and men
随便看	the silent majority the silent treatment the silly season the silver screen the sixty-four-dollar question the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question the sixty-four thousand dollar question the skids the sky the sky is the limit the sky's the limit the sky’s the limit the slammer the sleep of the just the slings and arrows the slip the slippery slope the small/early hours the small hours the small hours (of the night/morning) the small matter of (something) the small print the small screen the smart money the smart money is on somebody/something