To give an inch, take a mile means that if you allow someone to take something small, they may try to take much more than you intended. It describes people who take advantage of kindness or flexibility.
The saying has been used in English since at least the 1500s. It plays on the idea of someone being given a tiny measurement, an inch, and then trying to claim something far larger.
The saying has been used in English since at least the 1500s. It plays on the idea of someone being given a tiny measurement, an inch, and then trying to claim something far larger.
If you let him borrow your tools once, he will start showing up every weekend because he tends to give an inch, take a mile.