offer he couldn't refuse
1
4.9
- idiom
- Informal
:
oferta que no podía rechazar
- "An offer he couldn't refuse"?
- made him an offer he couldn't refuse
Examples
-
When the coach proposed a lucrative contract, it was an offer he couldn't refuse to join the prestigious team.
-
Oh, we made an offer he couldn't refuse.
-
He was given an offer he couldn't refuse.
-
So the king made Cassini an offer he couldn't refuse.
Academic text (2002) -
I made a sheikh in Abu Dhabi an offer he could not refuse.
-
The company presented him with an offer he couldn't refuse, promising a significant salary increase and benefits.
-
She received an offer he couldn't refuse when the university offered her a full scholarship to continue her studies.
Synonyms
1
8.1
An offer to buy a company at a very high price that its directors feel they must accept
Antonyms
How Compelling
- Informal
1
4.9
28
1.8
218
1.4
- Informal
8
7.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
offer + he + couldn't + refuse
The phrase is syntactically and semantically compositional: 'offer' modified by the relative clause 'he couldn't refuse' literally means 'an offer that he could not say no to.' A B1 learner who knows 'offer', 'he', 'couldn't' and 'refuse' can derive this core meaning (though native use may add cultural connotations of coercion or strong pressure).
Etymology
Offer he couldn't refuse comes from the famous movie The Godfather, where a mafia boss says he will make someone an offer they 'can't refuse' — a deal so good or backed by a threat that the person must accept. So today it means a proposal that is too strong or too dangerous to say 'no' to.