Question

Choose the correct meaning of the phrase.
Quid pro quo
a) Something for nothing
b) Something for something
c) Everything for something
d) Something for everything

Answer 1

Hint: The phrase ‘quid pro quo’ refers to ‘a favour or advantage granted in return for something'. This phrase is usually used as a legal term in court proceedings, etc.

Complete answer:
 An idiom is a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words. They are usually metaphorical and are not to be taken literally. For example, the idiom ‘over the moon’ refers to extreme happiness.
The given idiom is describing a favour in return of a favour. It suggests that if I do something for a person, that person then has to repay me by doing something for me. It is the Latin equivalent for the more common phrase ‘you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours’. In Latin, it literally means ‘something for something’.

Now, we know the meaning of the given phrase, let us go through the options one by one:

a) something for nothing - This option suggests that if I do something for a person, they do not return the favour and give nothing to me. This is not a fair deal. It is also not the meaning of the given phrase. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
b) something for something - This option suggests that if I do something for a person, they have to return the favour by doing something for me. This is the literal meaning of the given phrase. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.
c) everything for something - This option suggests an even more unfair deal, i.e. if I give a person all the information I have, they will, in turn, give me a bit of the information they have. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
d) something for everything - This option suggests another unfair deal, i.e. if I give a person some information, they, in turn, give me all of the information they have. This is not the meaning of the given phrase. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note:
Idioms are metaphorical and are not usually literal. Try to find the option that most
resembles the meaning of the given idiom. Use it in a sentence to fully understand the
context.