Going Dutch is a term that indicates that each person participating in a group activity pays for himself or herself, rather than any one person paying for anyone else, particularly in a restaurant bill. It is also called Dutch date and Dutch Treat.
There are two possible senses – each person paying his own expenses, or the entire bill being split (divided evenly) between all participants. In strict usage, "Going Dutch" refers to the former, paying one's own expenses, with the later being referred to as "splitting the bill", but in casual usage these may both be referred to as "Going Dutch". Splitting the bill is generally easier to compute, as it does not require checking what each individual ordered, but has the downside that people who ordered more expensive items are subsidized by others, and may be encouraged to order more expensive items knowing that their costs will be subsidized.
There is a delicate etiquette surrounding going Dutch. It is accepted in some situations, such as between non-intimate friends or less affluent people, but can be considered stingy in other circumstances, such as on a romantic date or at a business lunch. Judging by the use of equivalent phrases of the "English way" and "American way" in other countries, the practice of paying one's own way appears more common in Western countries.
Traditionally in the United States payment for a date's expenses has been made customarily by the male. Full payment by the male is also still most common in the UK. A modern interpretation in many countries, fostered in part by increased gender equality in the work force and the increased recognition of same-sex dating, holds that going Dutch is the normal presumption, at least early in the relationship.
The phrase "going Dutch" originates from the concept of a Dutch door. Previously on farmhouses this consisted of two equal parts (Sullivan. 2010). Another school of thought is that it may be related to Dutch etiquette. In the Netherlands, it was not unusual to pay separately when going out as a group. When dating in a one-on-one situation, however, the man will most commonly pay for meals and drinks. English rivalry with the Netherlands especially during the period of the Anglo-Dutch Wars gave rise to several phrases including Dutch that promote certain negative stereotypes. Examples include Dutch oven, Dutch courage, Dutch uncle and Dutch wife.
There are two possible senses – each person paying his own expenses, or the entire bill being split (divided evenly) between all participants. In strict usage, "Going Dutch" refers to the former, paying one's own expenses, with the later being referred to as "splitting the bill", but in casual usage these may both be referred to as "Going Dutch". Splitting the bill is generally easier to compute, as it does not require checking what each individual ordered, but has the downside that people who ordered more expensive items are subsidized by others, and may be encouraged to order more expensive items knowing that their costs will be subsidized.
There is a delicate etiquette surrounding going Dutch. It is accepted in some situations, such as between non-intimate friends or less affluent people, but can be considered stingy in other circumstances, such as on a romantic date or at a business lunch. Judging by the use of equivalent phrases of the "English way" and "American way" in other countries, the practice of paying one's own way appears more common in Western countries.
Traditionally in the United States payment for a date's expenses has been made customarily by the male. Full payment by the male is also still most common in the UK. A modern interpretation in many countries, fostered in part by increased gender equality in the work force and the increased recognition of same-sex dating, holds that going Dutch is the normal presumption, at least early in the relationship.
The phrase "going Dutch" originates from the concept of a Dutch door. Previously on farmhouses this consisted of two equal parts (Sullivan. 2010). Another school of thought is that it may be related to Dutch etiquette. In the Netherlands, it was not unusual to pay separately when going out as a group. When dating in a one-on-one situation, however, the man will most commonly pay for meals and drinks. English rivalry with the Netherlands especially during the period of the Anglo-Dutch Wars gave rise to several phrases including Dutch that promote certain negative stereotypes. Examples include Dutch oven, Dutch courage, Dutch uncle and Dutch wife.
*Wikipedia
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