to give as good as someone gets
3
7.2
- idiom
- Informal
:
devolver lo mismo
- In their friendly rivalry, he always managed to give as good as he got.
Examples
-
You give as good as you get with her.
Blog text (18) -
During the debate, she was assertive and gave as good as she got.
-
l mean, she gives as good as she gets.
-
He gave as good as he got.
Fiction book (1999) -
As this list shows, the Cupertino giant gives as good as it gets.
Blog text (18) -
Though the colonists gave as good as they got in this fracas, they had had enough of it and were now unanimous in feeling that their new governments should have something more than tradition to limit and guide them.
Academic text (2016) -
I was just giving as good as I get; I did get it, but I guess we both end up feeling misunderstood. Body language, being an essential ingredient of subtle humor, is sorely missed in these situations.
Blog text (10) -
I was just giving as good as I get; I did get it, but I guess we both end up feeling misunderstood. Body language, being an essential ingredient of subtle humor, is sorely missed in these situations.
Blog text (10) -
Korra, Lin, and Asami have all had various male characters trying to seriously hurt them, but being in a world of badass, they can give as good as they get.
Blog text (10) -
You've given as good as you got, and you've stuck around even when the owner of the blog made it quite clear that you and your derailing were unwelcome.
Blog text (7)
Synonyms
46
5.4
To do something to hurt someone because they hurt you
29
6.2
Do something similar in return when someone helps or is kind to you
9
3.2
Do something to someone to hurt them for what they did
3
7.4
To respond equally strongly when someone attacks or criticizes you
Treat someone in the same bad way they treated you
Antonyms
How Forceful
220
5.5
105
7.3
- Informal
3
7.2
293
3.2
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
give + as + good + as + someone + get
The components ('give', 'as good as', 'someone', 'gets') are partly compositional: the comparative structure suggests giving back something equal to what one receives. However the pragmatic sense of matching someone's force or aggression (retaliating or standing up to someone) is an idiomatic extension and not fully predictable from the words alone, so a B1 learner may not infer the exact conversational nuance without exposure.
Etymology
The phrase give as good as someone gets comes from the image of a fight or argument: if someone hits or insults you, you can give one back that is just as strong as the one you get. So it means 'to respond with the same strength or force'.