And another mile. Give someone an inch and he'll take a mile. The original saying goes "Give them an inch, and they'll take an ell." There is an abundance of literature that describes the distinctions between Leadership and Management in organizations. ga('create', 'UA-31379-3',{cookieDomain:'dictionary.cambridge.org',siteSpeedSampleRate: 10}); 'max': 8, ga('send', 'pageview'); Add give someone an inch and they'll take a mile to one of your lists below, or create a new one. googletag.pubads().setTargeting("cdo_tc", "resp"); expires: 365 { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '195451', size: [320, 50] }}, { bidder: 'onemobile', params: { dcn: '8a969411017171829a5c82bb4deb000b', pos: 'cdo_btmslot_300x250' }}, { bidder: 'sovrn', params: { tagid: '387233' }}, bids: [{ bidder: 'rubicon', params: { accountId: '17282', siteId: '162036', zoneId: '776156', position: 'atf' }}, if(!isPlusPopupShown()) { bidder: 'sovrn', params: { tagid: '346688' }}, gdpr: { 'increment': 1, name: "idl_env", } Showing page 1. { bidder: 'sovrn', params: { tagid: '346693' }}, { bidder: 'triplelift', params: { inventoryCode: 'Cambridge_SR' }}, 'max': 36, addPrebidAdUnits(pbAdUnits); To yield to his demands meant that he would take what money I had and perhaps do more mischief; The easy-going officers are perhaps our worst enemies. googletag.pubads().setTargeting('cdo_alc_pr', pl_p.split(",")); {code: 'ad_topslot_a', pubstack: { adUnitName: 'cdo_topslot', adUnitPath: '/23202586/cdo_topslot' }, mediaTypes: { banner: { sizes: [[300, 50], [320, 50], [320, 100]] } }, }] { bidder: 'openx', params: { unit: '539971079', delDomain: 'idm-d.openx.net' }}, { bidder: 'criteo', params: { networkId: 7100, publisherSubId: 'cdo_rightslot' }}, googletag.pubads().setTargeting("cdo_c", ["arts_entertainment_media"]); In Chinese culture , the "inch-mile" saying corresponds to the chengyu (four-character expression) 得隴望蜀 ( délǒng-wàngshǔ ), which is a quotation from the Book of Later Han about a Chinese general who took over Long (now Gansu ) only to pursue further southwards into Shu (now Sichuan ). var pbMobileHrSlots = [ type: "cookie", { bidder: 'onemobile', params: { dcn: '8a969411017171829a5c82bb4deb000b', pos: 'cdo_rightslot_flex' }}, { bidder: 'appnexus', params: { placementId: '11654208' }}, "error": true, See also: and, give, inch, ... give an inch and they'll take a mile; give and take; give anything (for something) Give them an inch they'll take a mile. { bidder: 'criteo', params: { networkId: 7100, publisherSubId: 'cdo_btmslot' }}, { bidder: 'onemobile', params: { dcn: '8a969411017171829a5c82bb4deb000b', pos: 'cdo_topslot_728x90' }}, Give him an inch and he'll take a mile. type: "html5", { bidder: 'onemobile', params: { dcn: '8a969411017171829a5c82bb4deb000b', pos: 'cdo_leftslot_160x600' }}, Or as the Chinese would say, they would 得寸进尺 (dé cùn jìn chǐ). SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. bidders: '*', { bidder: 'pubmatic', params: { publisherId: '158679', adSlot: 'cdo_btmslot' }}]}]; iasLog("criterion : cdo_pc = dictionary"); Give someone an inch and they'll take a mile definition: said to mean that if you do a small favour for someone, they will become greedy and ask... | … { bidder: 'appnexus', params: { placementId: '11653860' }}, { bidder: 'criteo', params: { networkId: 7100, publisherSubId: 'cdo_topslot' }}, { bidder: 'pubmatic', params: { publisherId: '158679', adSlot: 'cdo_topslot' }}]}, {code: 'ad_rightslot', pubstack: { adUnitName: 'cdo_rightslot', adUnitPath: '/23202586/cdo_rightslot' }, mediaTypes: { banner: { sizes: [[300, 250]] } }, { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '195465', size: [300, 250] }}, bids: [{ bidder: 'rubicon', params: { accountId: '17282', siteId: '162036', zoneId: '776130', position: 'btf' }}, Because it probably isn't. { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '195465', size: [300, 250] }}, { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '195467', size: [300, 250] }}, { bidder: 'criteo', params: { networkId: 7100, publisherSubId: 'cdo_topslot' }}, { bidder: 'onemobile', params: { dcn: '8a969411017171829a5c82bb4deb000b', pos: 'cdo_rightslot_flex' }}, { bidder: 'triplelift', params: { inventoryCode: 'Cambridge_MidArticle' }}, if(success && (tcData.eventStatus === 'useractioncomplete' || tcData.eventStatus === 'tcloaded')) { { bidder: 'onemobile', params: { dcn: '8a9690ab01717182962182bb50ce0007', pos: 'cdo_btmslot_mobile_flex' }}, Explanation of give an inch and she will take a mile If You Give Them an Inch They’ll Take a Mile. // FIXME: (temporary) - send ad requests only if PlusPopup is not shown } var pbHdSlots = [ { bidder: 'openx', params: { unit: '539971081', delDomain: 'idm-d.openx.net' }}, "authorizationTimeout": 10000 {code: 'ad_btmslot_a', pubstack: { adUnitName: 'cdo_btmslot', adUnitPath: '/23202586/cdo_btmslot' }, mediaTypes: { banner: { sizes: [[300, 250]] } }, { bidder: 'pubmatic', params: { publisherId: '158679', adSlot: 'cdo_topslot' }}]}, googletag.pubads().setTargeting("cdo_ei", "give-someone-an-inch-and-they-ll-take-a-mile"); { bidder: 'criteo', params: { networkId: 7100, publisherSubId: 'cdo_rightslot' }}, { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '195467', size: [300, 50] }}, } { bidder: 'sovrn', params: { tagid: '346693' }}, }, { bids: [{ bidder: 'rubicon', params: { accountId: '17282', siteId: '162050', zoneId: '776336', position: 'btf' }}, { bidder: 'openx', params: { unit: '539971066', delDomain: 'idm-d.openx.net' }}, { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '195464', size: [300, 600] }}, dfpSlots['rightslot'] = googletag.defineSlot('/23202586/cdo_rightslot', [[300, 250]], 'ad_rightslot').defineSizeMapping(mapping_rightslot).setTargeting('sri', '0').setTargeting('vp', 'mid').setTargeting('hp', 'right').addService(googletag.pubads()); 'increment': 0.05, } 'max': 3, var pbDesktopSlots = [ Show them that those who have defended the nation with the sword can control it by the ballot-box. { bidder: 'sovrn', params: { tagid: '446382' }}, If we, If Kirishima-san had known the proverb about. bids: [{ bidder: 'rubicon', params: { accountId: '17282', siteId: '162036', zoneId: '776160', position: 'atf' }}, userSync: { Give them an inch and they'll take a … },{ And another mile. { bidder: 'sovrn', params: { tagid: '346688' }}, { bidder: 'triplelift', params: { inventoryCode: 'Cambridge_HDX' }}, bids: [{ bidder: 'rubicon', params: { accountId: '17282', siteId: '162036', zoneId: '776160', position: 'atf' }}, It is a very old saying which originally had a … window.__tcfapi('removeEventListener', 2, function(success){ https://www.campusreform.org/article?id=16691 Buy for them beautiful pictures, and encourage them to decorate their rooms each in his or her own childish way. ... he'll wind up keeping them for years. dfpSlots['topslot_b'] = googletag.defineSlot('/23202586/cdo_topslot', [[728, 90]], 'ad_topslot_b').defineSizeMapping(mapping_topslot_b).setTargeting('sri', '0').setTargeting('vp', 'top').setTargeting('hp', 'center').addService(googletag.pubads()); If the totalitarian tiptoe is not stopped dead in its tracks, the people are inevitably robbed of … His language was not clear, but his intent was. I don't think the people I'm ranting about read these things) Comment. {code: 'ad_rightslot', pubstack: { adUnitName: 'cdo_rightslot', adUnitPath: '/23202586/cdo_rightslot' }, mediaTypes: { banner: { sizes: [[300, 250]] } }, How About Shooting for Two Miles? saying. { bidder: 'sovrn', params: { tagid: '346698' }}, googletag.pubads().setTargeting("sfr", "cdo_dict_english"); { bidder: 'onemobile', params: { dcn: '8a969411017171829a5c82bb4deb000b', pos: 'cdo_btmslot_300x250' }}, googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || []; From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English give somebody an inch and they’ll take a yard/mile give somebody an inch and they’ll take a yard/mile WATCH used to say that, if you allow someone a little freedom or power, they will try to take more → inch { bidder: 'onemobile', params: { dcn: '8a969411017171829a5c82bb4deb000b', pos: 'cdo_rightslot_flex' }}, { bidder: 'triplelift', params: { inventoryCode: 'Cambridge_Billboard' }}, { bidder: 'openx', params: { unit: '539971080', delDomain: 'idm-d.openx.net' }}, Learn more in the Cambridge English-Chinese traditional Dictionary. }; give them an inch and they'll take a mile. They come from many sources and are not checked. { bidder: 'triplelift', params: { inventoryCode: 'Cambridge_SR' }}, 'min': 8.50, 'min': 3.05, Give someone an inch, "and they'll take a mile" is perhaps the most common way of ending the saying or proverb. }, { bidder: 'onemobile', params: { dcn: '8a9690ab01717182962182bb50ce0007', pos: 'cdo_btmslot_mobile_flex' }}, params: { ga('set', 'dimension3', "default"); filter: 'include' Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. 'cap': true 'increment': 0.01, Give an inch and they'll take a mile definition at Dictionary.com, a free online dictionary with pronunciation, synonyms and translation. Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English, 0 && stateHdr.searchDesk ? 'cap': true bids: [{ bidder: 'rubicon', params: { accountId: '17282', siteId: '162036', zoneId: '776130', position: 'btf' }}, This expression, in slightly different form, was already a proverb in John Heywood's 1546 collection, "Give him an inch and he'll take an ell," and is so well known it is often shortened (as in the example). { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '195466', size: [728, 90] }}, Give them an inch and they’ll take a mile - COVID-19 is eroding liberty in the UK. If you let the kids stay up later on the weekends, they'll want to do it all the time. if(pl_p) }); btScript.src = '//idmgroup-com.videoplayerhub.com/videoloader.js'; enableSendAllBids: false dfpSlots['topslot_a'] = googletag.defineSlot('/23202586/cdo_topslot', [], 'ad_topslot_a').defineSizeMapping(mapping_topslot_a).setTargeting('sri', '0').setTargeting('vp', 'top').setTargeting('hp', 'center').addService(googletag.pubads()); The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. bids: [{ bidder: 'rubicon', params: { accountId: '17282', siteId: '162036', zoneId: '776160', position: 'atf' }}, Later usage through the 19th century refers to several longer units, some of which … { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '195465', size: [300, 250] }}, bids: [{ bidder: 'rubicon', params: { accountId: '17282', siteId: '162036', zoneId: '776156', position: 'atf' }}, { bidder: 'openx', params: { unit: '539971063', delDomain: 'idm-d.openx.net' }}, GIVE HIM AN INCH, AND HE WILL TAKE A MILE - "Some people are never pleased with what they are given - they demand more and more. { bidder: 'sovrn', params: { tagid: '387232' }}, bids: [{ bidder: 'rubicon', params: { accountId: '17282', siteId: '162036', zoneId: '776140', position: 'atf' }}, { bidder: 'openx', params: { unit: '539971080', delDomain: 'idm-d.openx.net' }}, { bidder: 'sovrn', params: { tagid: '446382' }}, An ell (from Proto-Germanic *alinō, cognate with Latin ulna) is a northwestern European unit of measurement, originally understood as a cubit (the combined length of the forearm and extended hand). said about someone who has been given a small amount of power or freedom to do something, and then has tried to get a lot more. iasLog("criterion : sfr = cdo_dict_english"); { bidder: 'criteo', params: { networkId: 7100, publisherSubId: 'cdo_btmslot' }}, An ell was a unit of measurement that … { bidder: 'sovrn', params: { tagid: '387233' }}, { bidder: 'triplelift', params: { inventoryCode: 'Cambridge_SR' }}, dfpSlots['houseslot_b'] = googletag.defineSlot('/2863368/houseslot', [], 'ad_houseslot_b').defineSizeMapping(mapping_houseslot_b).setTargeting('sri', '0').setTargeting('vp', 'btm').setTargeting('hp', 'center').setCategoryExclusion('house').addService(googletag.pubads()); Add to Favourites. filterSettings: { Give an inch and they’ll take a mile I’ve heard the expression, “Give them an inch and they’ll take a mile” a lot but never used it until this weekend. { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '195451', size: [320, 50] }}, }, {code: 'ad_rightslot', pubstack: { adUnitName: 'cdo_rightslot', adUnitPath: '/23202586/cdo_rightslot' }, mediaTypes: { banner: { sizes: [[300, 250]] } }, }); iasLog("criterion : cdo_pt = entry"); Date: April 26th, 2011 | BY Steve Crandall. My youngest daughter went to softball practice at 10 am on Saturday and called to ask if she could go to the Mangum Rattlesnake Derby with one of her friends. Be warned. { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '195466', size: [728, 90] }}, { bidder: 'ix', params: { siteId: '194852', size: [300, 250] }}, { bidder: 'pubmatic', params: { publisherId: '158679', adSlot: 'cdo_topslot' }}]}, googletag.pubads().set("page_url", "https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/give-someone-an-inch-and-they-ll-take-a-mile"); iasLog("exclusion label : mcp"); iasLog("criterion : cdo_ei = give-someone-an-inch-and-they-ll-take-a-mile"); Give an inch and he'll take a mile phrase. Find out information about give an inch and she will take a mile. give someone an inch and they'll take a mile translate: 得寸进尺. {code: 'ad_leftslot', pubstack: { adUnitName: 'cdo_leftslot', adUnitPath: '/23202586/cdo_leftslot' }, mediaTypes: { banner: { sizes: [[120, 600], [160, 600]] } }, { bidder: 'sovrn', params: { tagid: '387232' }}, var pbMobileLrSlots = [ { bidder: 'sovrn', params: { tagid: '446381' }}, { bidder: 'appnexus', params: { placementId: '11654174' }}, { bidder: 'pubmatic', params: { publisherId: '158679', adSlot: 'cdo_btmslot' }}]}]; dfpSlots['leftslot'] = googletag.defineSlot('/23202586/cdo_leftslot', [[120, 600], [160, 600]], 'ad_leftslot').defineSizeMapping(mapping_leftslot).setTargeting('sri', '0').setTargeting('vp', 'top').setTargeting('hp', 'left').addService(googletag.pubads()); (idiomatic) Alternative form of give them an inch and they'll take a mile The word literally means "arm", and survives in form of the modern English word "elbow" (arm-bend). googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); 'buckets': [{ Next Last. window.__tcfapi('addEventListener', 2, function(tcData, success) { When you, give someone a little finger and they take the whole arm, literally “lend a hand and they take your arm", give them an inch and they'll take an ell, give someone an inch and someone will take a mile, ræk nogen en lillefinger, og han tager hele armen, tendez-leur la main et ils vous prennent le bras, Gib jemandem den kleinen Finger und er nimmt die ganze Hand, https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=give_them_an_inch_and_they%27ll_take_a_mile&oldid=61776286, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Browse our dictionary apps today and ensure you are never again lost for words. { bidder: 'appnexus', params: { placementId: '11653860' }}, Never, (Having the proverb split between sentences.). iframe: { { bidder: 'triplelift', params: { inventoryCode: 'Cambridge_MidArticle' }}, bids: [{ bidder: 'rubicon', params: { accountId: '17282', siteId: '162050', zoneId: '776358', position: 'atf' }}, { bidder: 'onemobile', params: { dcn: '8a9690ab01717182962182bb50ce0007', pos: 'cdo_topslot_mobile_flex' }}, }; googletag.pubads().setTargeting("cdo_l", "en-us"); var pbjs = pbjs || {}; }, tcData.listenerId); Worryingly, the public, and our elected officials, seem increasingly comfortable with be being ruled by diktats, which have wrecked the economy and destroyed our personal liberty.