piece of the action, a

piece of the action

A part of the profits or success from an activity. Once Sarah heard that Mel was starting a new software company, she decided she wanted a piece of the action and asked to be his business partner.

See also: action, of, piece

piece of the action

A share in an activity or in the profits, as in They wanted a piece of the action in this land deal. [Slang; mid-1900s]

See also: action, of, piece

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.

a piece of the action

INFORMAL or

a slice of the action

mainly BRITISH, INFORMAL

COMMON If someone wants a piece of the action or a slice of the action, they want to get involved in an activity which seems likely to be very successful or profitable. More than 27.3 million shares in mobile phone companies changed hands as dealers scrambled to get a piece of the action. Within five years, every car manufacturer was at it. The hatchback explosion had begun and everyone wanted a piece of the action. As the British rap scene grows in strength, the Americans are becoming keener to grab a slice of the action.

See also: action, of, piece

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

a piece (or slice) of the action

1 a share in the excitement of something. 2 a share in the profits from something. informal

See also: action, of, piece

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

piece (of the action)

and bit of the action and slice of the action

n. a share in the activity or the profits. (Especially gambling activity.) Don’t be selfish. Give me a slice of the action. I helped! I want a bit of the action.

See also: action, of, piece

piece of the action

Slang

A share of an activity or of profits: "a piece of the action in a Florida land deal" (Shana Alexander).

See also: action, of, piece

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.

piece of the action, a

A share, usually meaning a financial share. This term originated as U.S. show business slang and referred from the 1920s on to investing in a production and thereby sharing in the profits. From the 1960s on it was transferred to other endeavors as well, as in Emma Lathen’s mystery Murder Without Icing (1972): “What’s it got to do with her if you sell your piece of the action?”