to split the baby

Examples

• All

• Joe Biden continues to try to, I don't know, split the baby by offering amnesty to hundreds of thousands of people.

• Arbitrators may also be more likely to issue Solomonic "split the baby" decisions to make their employers, the parties, equally happy and increase the likelihood that the arbitrator will be selected by these parties in the future.

  Academic text (2007)

• Roberts pretty much figured that the best way to split the baby was just to accept the mandate, since no anti-ACA interest group was being harmed by the existence of the mandate, and it was the pro-ACA interest groups that were affected by it.

  Blog text (3)

• Or put another way: If you think you're so smart about the protection of American liberties and the simultaneous upholding of the principles of free speech and free enterprise, you try sitting up here on King Solomon's throne and splitting the baby along the proper lines.

  Blog text (3)

• "My experience is that arbitrators usually just want to 'split the baby' in order to make both parties happy—or at least to try to avoid alienating either party to remain on 'the list' for future business," says Tom Vance, risk manager for the city of Anaheim, Calif.

  Academic text (1996)

• The mediator suggested they split the baby by giving each party what they wanted in order to resolve the conflict smoothly.

• In negotiations, sometimes it's best to split the baby to ensure that neither side feels completely defeated.

• To satisfy both clients, the contractor decided to split the baby by adjusting the project timeline for each of them.

Synonyms

C

to compromise

vsto split the baby

215 3.7

To settle a disagreement by each side giving up something

divides the outcome between opposing parties rather than a general settlement

C

to cut a deal

vsto split the baby

• Informal

94 3.5

Make an agreement after talking, often in business or politics

splits results between opposing parties specifically when no clear winner exists

S

to split the difference

vsto split the baby

• Informal

9 4.1

Agree on a middle amount between two offers

divides the outcome between sides instead of picking a midpoint

M

to meet halfway

vsto split the baby

2 3.5

Each person gives up some of what they want to reach an agreement

splits the final result between the parties instead of mutual partial concessions

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology