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It is not an idiom - it means what it seems to mean. This is a very old proverb (already considered old in the 1500's!). It comes from the fact that some people are greedy. If you give them an inch of something, they'll want even more.

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11y ago

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What does the phrase give him an inch and he'll take a mile mean?

The phrase give him an inch and he'll take a mile is a very popular phrase. This means that if you give him a little bit of freedom he'll take you for everything you've got.


What is the origin for the idiom 'go the extra mile'?

Just what you think - it's a figurative traveling idiom. You're "going" more than you might, as if you were traveling an extra mile.


How many mile in a inch?

1.57828283 × 10-5 miles in an inch


What does this idiom mean 'give him an inch and he'll take a mile'?

This is not an idiom - it means just what it seems to mean - but is a proverb, or old saying.If you let someone behave poorly, they will behave very poorly. If you let up on a rule ever so slightly, those who usually follow the rule will throw it out all together.Make a small concession and they'll take advantage of you. For example, I told her she could borrow the car for one day and she's been gone a week--give an inch! 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). The use of mile dates from about 1900.(Proverb) Be generous to someone and the person will demand even more. (Describes someone who will take advantage of you if you are even a little kind to him or her.)"If you let Mark borrow your tools for this weekend, he'll wind up keeping them for years. Give him an inch and he'll take a mile."


What is bigger a mile or a inch?

A mile is 63,360 times greater than an inch.


How many mile are in a inch?

There are no miles in an inch however there are 63,360 inches in a mile


What does the idiom talk a mile in a minute mean?

To talk fast.


What size is an inch compared with a mile?

One inch = 0.0000157828 mile (rounded) One mile = 63,360 inches


Order of largest to smallest foot mile yard inch?

inch, foot, yard, mile


Is a mile bigger than an inch?

One mile is equal to 63,360 inches, so yes, a mile is bigger than an inch.


What is more precise yard inch foot or mile?

In order of magnitude: inch, foot, yard and mile


Does one inch equal the same amount as a real mile on the map?

it is only to scale. if it says on the map that one inch is one mile, then it is a mile in real life.