Quid pro quo

Rare card · No. 45123

Quid pro quo (Renaissance Latin: 'something for something') is a Latin phrase used in English to mean an exchange of goods or services, in which one transfer is contingent upon the other; "a favor for a favor". In American English it is a euphemism for financial crime. Phrases with similar meanings include: "give and take", "tit for tat", "you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours", "this for that," and "one hand washes the other". Other languages use do ut des to express a reciprocal exchange, which aligns with the Latin meaning, whereas the widespread use of quid pro quo in English for this concept actually means "misunderstanding" in Latin, or “mistaking something for something else”.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Lucas Cranach the Elder, Public domain