give them an inch and they’ll take a mile
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Also seen as: give an inch, take a mile · give them an inch and they'll take an ell
If you make a small concession to some people, they will demand much more.
Nếu bạn nhượng bộ một chút, họ sẽ đòi hỏi nhiều hơn
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
How to use it
✓ Use it when
Warning about escalating demands after small concessions.
Register: neutralConnotation: warningEra: 16th century (“ell”) – present
Examples
Editorial example (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Equivalents & related
Common questions
What does “give them an inch and they’ll take a mile” mean?
If you make a small concession to some people, they will demand much more. Literally: Granted one inch, they take a mile.
Is “give them an inch and they’ll take a mile” formal or informal?
give them an inch and they’ll take a mile is generally neutral; connotation: warning.
What is the closest equivalent?
“được voi đòi tiên” (Tiếng Việt) — near equivalent.