Take it or Leave it Meaning

Definition: A phrase that a person says when they want to invite you or offer something, but they will not be offended if you reject it.

What Does Take it or Leave it Meaning

It is a phrase that means you can go and look for something else if you do not like the offer.

A man was walking through Tompkins park one afternoon when he saw an envelope where someone had written: “take $100” on the sidewalk. He looks around, and no one is watching, so he takes the money and puts it in his pocket.

At home, he tells his wife, “You know those envelopes with ‘take $100’ written on them? I found one today and took the money inside.” His wife looks at him and says: “Well, then why don’t you go back and give it to them?” He replies: “What do you mean? Didn’t you see what it said on the envelope, ‘take $100’?”

“Exactly.” his wife says. “So if they wanted to offer it to someone, why would they write ‘leave $100’ on it?”

This joke has been around for a while now and has even appeared in one of the longest-running American sitcoms.

This is an example of a rhetorical question, where the person asking the question does not expect an answer or does not want anyone to know that they do not know the answer to their question.

This joke doesn’t even really have a punchline; it’s just something that makes you think about what was said.

“Leave $100” – that’s a question that doesn’t necessarily have an answer, at least not without knowing the context of this situation. If you find yourself wondering what the logic behind it is, then good for you! It means that even though we sometimes explain things and think everyone understands us, they don’t.

An example will be if one of your friends asks you, “Why did you do that?” And to which you reply, “I don’t know,” but there is a perfect reason for why you acted.