Indian giver

English

Etymology

See Indian giving.

Noun

Indian giver (plural Indian givers)

  1. (informal, now offensive) A person who demands the return of or takes back something that was previously given.
    • 1920, Peter B. Kyne, chapter 41, in Kindred of the Dust:
      Mark me, he'll never take those bonds.... He gave them to you and he's not an Indian giver."
    • 2001, Jon Ippolito, “Whatever Happened to the Gift Economy?”, in Leonardo, volume 34, number 2, page 159:
      He was labeled an "Indian giver"—someone who gives a gift only to ask for it back.

Translations
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