English Explanatory Dictionary

take one's half out of the middle

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To take the portion of something to which one is entitled, but in such a way that it shortchanges others.

Pronunciation

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-take one's half out of the middle.wav

Word forms

take one's half out of the middle takes one's half out of the middle taking one's half out of the middle took one's half out of the middle taken one's half out of the middle

Etymology

Referring to a scenario where one is entitled to half of something (e.g. half a cheese-wheel, half a cake, half a bed, or half of the width of a road for driving) but one takes one's half from the middle instead of one side, leaving the other person with a less desirable half (of the cheese-wheel or cake) consisting of crust or rind, or an unusable "half" (of the bed or road) made up of two separate pieces on either side.

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