return the favor

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return the favor

To reciprocate one's actions. You helped me last week, so I'll return the favor and do your filing. If Tiffany's the one who started that rumor about me, I'll just return the favor with a rumor about her.
See also: favor, return
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

return the favor

to do a good deed for someone who has done a good deed for you. You helped me last week, so I'll return the favor and help you this week. There is no point in helping Bill He'll never return the favor.
See also: favor, return
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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References in periodicals archive ?
But for the 27-year-old volleybelle, she was simply returning the favor to PacificTown for their support when she was down with injury.
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His not vetoing any laws was probably a condition for his nomination and so he is happily returning the favor now," Skarik said.
Professor Svetomir Skarik, a former advisor to President Gjorge Ivanov, has recently told Deutsche Welle that Ivanov knows very well that the state has no right to interfere in the creation of study programs at universities and conduct a process of examination of the students' knowledge
Returning the favor, the stroke magazine Honcho provided an opportunity for various artists to expand their conceptual investigations.
Bruce Hainley
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