take one's half out of the middle

English

Etymology

From the practice of driving too close to the center of a two-way road, so that the remaining half of the road is split on both sides of you, leaving vehicles that are going the other way with no usable space on which to drive.

Verb

take one's half out of the middle (third-person singular simple present takes one's half out of the middle, present participle taking one's half out of the middle, simple past took one's half out of the middle, past participle taken one's half out of the middle)

1. To take the portion of something to which one is entitled, but in such a way that it shortchanges others.
   • 2008 October 14, thea, “Polytheism -> Monotheism -> Atheism”, in Atheism vs Christianity‎^[1] (Usenet):

     In fact, I have heard people say they didn't believe what some pastor said, because they did not live their three score and ten years. So your 66.2 is a bit shy. Satan is still taking his half out of the middle.

   • 2015 September 23, “We Saw You Have Sex on the Beach, Text About Drugs, and Eat Pizza While Cycling”, in The Stranger:

     Technically speaking, we all own the sidewalk. But last week, you were taking your half out of the middle, slowly lurching through the Belltown/South Lake Union border zone and staring into your phone.

   • 2016 September 14, Samantha Craggs, “Where should Hamilton's LRT stops be located? Did Metrolinx get it right?”, in CBC News:

     The current plan "takes up its half out of the middle and you can have what's left over."