Indian giving

Meaning

Noun

• The act of giving something under the pretense that the receiver gets to keep it permanently but then taking it back later on or expecting something in return.

Origin

• From Lewis and Clarke's misunderstanding of how Native Americans traded: a tribe that traded beads for a dog might later trade the dog back to its original owner, expect something (such as the beads) in return, and take it unless something was not offered.