dish out

verb

1. (tr, adverb) to distribute

2. to inflict punishment

   he can't take it, but he can sure dish it out

Idioms and Phrases

Deal out, dispense, as in He dishes out advice to one and all . This expression alludes to serving food from a dish. ] Colloquial ; first half of 1600s]

dish it out . Dispense abuse or punishment, as in He can dish it out with the best of them, but he can't take it . [ Slang ; c. 1930]

Example Sentences

“It gets harder every time we play them because they know our tendencies,” said Missouri-bound setter Lucky Fasavalu, who dished out 44 assists.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

This gave way to ever-more-sophisticated accounting and management strategies that employed metrics for the depreciation of slave worker value and the dishing out of incentives—both rewards and punishments—for their performance.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

European captain Luke Donald dished out virtual reality headsets, which could be programmed with all manner of abuse, to his players.

Read more on BBC

Or help his creditors recover what is left of their money by taking on a loss-making steel plant for however long it takes for a buyer to be found and the sale proceeds dished out.

Read more on BBC

The Royal College of General Practitioners has welcomed the "long overdue" UK government review into how funds are dished out to GP surgeries.

Read more on BBC