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/Sounds like "DAHR" (as in "dart") + "LAH" (as in "lava") + "MAH" (as in "mark") + "noh" (as in "note") + "EE" (as in "eagle") + "TEH" (as in "ten") + "TOH" (as in "toll") + "mahn" (as in "mark") + "EHL" (as in "egg") + "BRAH" (as in "bra") + "soh" (as in "solo")/

Meaning

Give someone an inch and they take a mile. This proverb describes someone who abuses a small act of generosity, using a minor concession as an opening to demand or take much more than was offered. In Argentina and Uruguay it is a warning about being too generous with people who do not know their limits.

Examples

I lent him the desk for a day and he took over the whole room: give them an inch and they take a mile.

Don't be so generous with that person, they will take advantage.

Regional synonyms

An apartment or flat inside a building in Colombia, Venezuela, and the Caribbean. It's the same thing as 'departamento' in Mexico, different word, same concept of vertical living.