partner

partner in crime

1. One who aids or accompanies someone in crimes or nefarious actions. Once the CFO and CEO were revealed to be partners in crime, they were both fired for their involvement in the embezzling scandal.
2. By extension, one's close friend or confidant. If Seth is here, Jimmy can't be far behind—those two are partners in crime.
See also: crime, partner

partner up (with someone or something)

1. To form a pair or partnership with another person or organization in order to perform some activity together. We're partnering up with GlobalTech to create a new line of Wi-Fi-enabled home appliances. We partnered up to solve the crime. OK, everyone, partner up so we can start our next dance lesson!
2. To arrange for someone or some organization to form a pair in order to perform some activity or achieve some task. In this usage, a noun or pronoun is used between "partner" and "up." The teacher partnered students up to work on the geography project. Our agency partners up applicants with companies best suited to their skills and motivations.
See also: partner, someone, up

silent partner

Someone who is closely associated or involved with a business or corporation, typically through financial investment, so as to share in its risks and rewards without participating in its day-to-day operations and management. Primarily heard in US. Dave's father agreed to be a silent partner when we started our company, leaving us to run it once it was set up. In an attempt to crack down on corruption, federal investigators have begun looking into various silent partners that might be financing the drug trade throughout the country.
See also: partner, silent

sleeping partner

Someone who is closely associated or involved with a business or corporation, typically through financial investment, and therefore shares in its risks and rewards, but does not participate in its day-to-day operations and management. Dave's father agreed to be a sleeping partner when we started our company, leaving us to run it once it was set up. In an attempt to crack down on corruption, federal investigators have begun looking into various sleeping partners that might be financing the drug trade throughout the country.
See also: partner, sleep

sparring partner

1. Literally, someone with whom one practices martial arts or boxing. OK, John here is going to be your new sparring partner. He's tougher than you're used to, but he'll help your skills improve.
2. By extension, someone with whom one engages in a debate, argument, or heated discussion, especially when one enjoys doing so. I was sad to hear he wouldn't be in the class next semester—he was my favorite sparring partner during class discussions. The two have been sparring partners on the morning talk show for nearly ten years.
See also: partner, spar
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

partners in crime

 
1. Fig. persons who cooperate in committing a crime or a deception. (Usually an exaggeration.) The sales manager and the used-car salesmen are nothing but partners in crime.
2. persons who cooperate in some legal task. The legal department and payroll are partners in crime as far as the average worker is concerned.
See also: crime, partner
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

sparring partner

An individual with whom one enjoys arguing, as in Jim's my best sparring partner. This expression alludes to boxing, where since about 1900 it has denoted the person one practices or trains with. [Mid-1900s] Also see spar with.
See also: partner, spar
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

someone's partner in crime

Someone's partner in crime is a person that they do something with. My evening begins with watching possibly the worst romance I've ever seen, with my movie partner in crime, Monique. He presented his last programme with partner in crime Will Anderson last Friday. Note: This expression is often used humorously.
See also: crime, partner

a sparring partner

Someone's sparring partner is someone they enjoy arguing with or discussing things with. My old sparring partner Chris Moyles has got the Radio 1 breakfast show in place of Sara Cox. Note: This expressing comes from boxing, where a sparring partner was someone to practise with.
See also: partner, spar
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

partner up

v.
1. To arrange some things or people in groups of two: The gym teacher partnered up the students and started a tennis tournament. The organizer partnered us up with some new volunteers.
2. To form pairs or a pair; become partners: The dance students partnered up and started to waltz.
See also: partner, up
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • partner in crime
  • partners in crime
  • someone's partner in crime
  • take a warrant out on (one)
  • take out a warrant on (one)
  • reappoint
  • reappoint (one) as (something)
  • reappoint as
  • swear a warrant out on (one)
  • swear out a warrant on (one)
References in periodicals archive
Each partner contributed employees to the joint venture and shares costs equally.
Turning collection headaches into profit opportunities. (Balance Sheet Management)
The Oracle Partner Resource Network is a single point of contact for existing and potential Oracle partners that provides fast and accurate answers to all partner enquiries about the use of the Oracle PartnerNetwork, the benefits partners will receive and how to make the best use of these Oracle partner resources.
ISV'S MIGRATE PRODUCTS TO ORACLE DATABASE
SAP will also expand their channel partner community worldwide, recruiting partners with industry-specific experience and a 100-percent focus on the SMB market.
SAP: SMART BUSINESS SOLUTIONS PROGRAM FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM BUSINESSES
When considering strategic partnerships involving other early-stage firms, Heller recommends going even further -- checking the references of the partner company's management team, having an attorney look into any legal implications and talking to some of the firm's customers.
The vanishing partner: Sometimes a carefully forged alliance lands you with a dead weight instead of a win-win. Smart companies know how to contend with -- and guard against -- their partners disappearing. (Strategy)
The Positive Partners Study (P2) is a collaboration between Dr.
Superinfection (Reinfection): New Study in San Francisco Offers Free Resistance and Viral Load Testing
* partner's commitment to improving a foundry's business and processing operations;
Building business relationships with strategic partnering
Net value approach: The proposed regulations provide that a disregarded entity's payment obligation for which a partner is treated as bearing the economic risk of loss is taken into account only to the extent of the disregarded entity's net value.
Final regs. on treatment of disregarded entities under Sec. 752
Partner Plus is a key pillar of Cisco's Partner Led strategy, which is designed to empower and rewards channel partners to lead the sale with SMB customers.
Cisco recognises channel partners at Partner Summit UAE 2012
In another situation, (5) the Service considered whether a payment made by an affiliated group member to a partnership in which it was not a partner was a partnership item.
Current developments: this article reviews and analyzes recent rulings and decisions involving partnerships. The discussion covers developments in partnership formation, foreign-source income, debt and income allocations, partnership continuation and basis adjustments
And BakerSimmons, 39, and her partner Wanda Shelley, 37, were looking for a way to gain entry to the television arena.
Team players: successful partnerships don't just happen. These young entrepreneurs have discovered the key to combining their unique talents
However, compared with women who did not have any new sex partners, women who had one or more than one new partner had a sharply elevated risk (harard ratios, 6.5 and 23.3, respectively).
Frequent male condom use decreases women's risk of HPV infection
Listen to out partner George Zuber and you'll hear how this Big Four accounting firm stood by gay employees and embraced diversity before many others got "on that bandwagon." "I chose Deloitte primarily because of its value of people toward diversity," says Zuber, who joined the firm 23 years ago.
Companies that embrace equality: in 2006 a record number of Fortune 500 companies are offering benefits and protections to their LGBT employees. The Advocate highlights 10 additions to its ever-growing list of equality-minded employers
And in many other simultaneous hermaphrodites, if one partner deposited sperm into the other's reproductive tract, elaborate plumbing would divert a sizable portion of the sperm to digestive organs, presumably as a snack for the recipient.
Battle of the hermaphrodites: sexes clash even when sharing the same body
Among the first domestic partnership issues to reach the California courts is the narrow question of whether or not a surviving registered domestic partner whose partner died prior to Jan.
Potential pitfalls: financial planning challenges for registered domestic partners
With respect to protecting the camp, however, a question might fairly be asked whether seeking releases or waivers from camp families is the act of a "partner." The law generally protects the camp from the inherent risks of its activities, and those which might otherwise be assumed by the camper.
Legal and partnering--really?