dish it out

dish it out

To voice harsh thoughts, criticisms, or insults. You were all over your sister about her eating habits, but you start pouting when I point out that you had a cupcake for dinner last night! What, you can only dish it out?
See also: dish, out

dish out

1. To distribute prepared food, especially using a utensil to serve it onto or into individual dishes. A noun or pronoun can be used between "dish" and "out." We should get back to our table—the servers have started dishing out the food.
2. By extension, to dispense something, often verbally. A noun or pronoun can be used between "dish" and "out." Ross is better at dishing out criticism than receiving it himself. That professor is a much harder grader this semester—he must have gotten in trouble for dishing out too many A's.
See also: dish, out
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

dish it out

Slang
To deal out criticism or abuse.
See also: dish, out
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
See also:
  • dish out
  • you can dish it out, but you can't take it
  • if you can't take it, (then) don't dish it out
  • throw stones
  • eat dirt
  • slings and arrows
  • the slings and arrows
  • have an effect on
  • have an/any/no effect on (someone or something)
  • gluttony kills more than the sword