work both sides of the street
To aid, support, or engage with both sides of some issue, situation, agenda, competition, etc. Often used with the implication that someone is doing so in a duplicitous manner to benefit their own interests or agenda. She was accused of working both sides of the street, acting as a legal adviser for groups trying to legalize recreational cannabis while also serving on the board of several organizations that have tried to quash such actions. Look, I've been working both sides of the street in Washington for years, negotiating the rather volatile divide between corporate and political interests very carefully. The only way we're going to resolve this crisis is if we commit to working both sides of the street.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
work both sides of the street
Engage in doubledealing, be duplicitous, as in The real estate agent was known for working both sides of the street, advising first the buyer and then the seller . This metaphoric term transfers opposite sides of a street to opposite sides of a negotiation.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
work both sides of the street
To engage in double-dealing; be duplicitous.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.