Indian giver

English

Etymology

See Indian giving.

Noun

Indian giver (plural Indian givers)

1. (informal, offensive) A person who demands the return of or takes back something which he or she has 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?" Leonardo, vol. 34, no. 2, p. 159,

     He was labeled an "Indian giver"—someone who gives a gift only to ask for it back.

Related terms

• Indian giving
• Indian gift