quid1

[kwid] /kwɪd/
noun
1.
a portion of something, especially tobacco, that is to be chewed but not swallowed.
Origin
1720-30; dialectal variant of cud

quid2

[kwid] /kwɪd/
noun, plural quid.
1.
British Informal. one pound sterling.
Origin
1680-90; origin uncertain

quid pro quo

[kwid proh kwoh] /ˈkwɪd proʊ ˈkwoʊ/
noun, plural quid pro quos, quids pro quo for 2.
1.
(italics) Latin. one thing in return for another.
2.
something that is given or taken in return for something else; substitute.
Origin
1555-65; Latin quid prō quō literally, something for something; see what, pro1
Examples from the web for quid
  • He and the university both denied any quid pro quo in his hiring.
  • The album details his quest to find a thousand quid that's gone missing.
  • The myth of absolute rule aside, prison administrators have always practiced a form of quid pro quo to keep order.
  • Miller's computer in which he offered the quid pro quo.
  • There's a lot of quid, and quid pro quo, going around government.
  • Proving an actual quid pro quo that can be prosecuted can be difficult, especially under porous state laws.
  • It should not be conditional on some sort of amnesty quid pro quo.
  • It is believed to be the first time hostages have been freed without any quid pro quo.
  • It lighted up the bad quid and didn't bother with the good quo.
  • The equation is balanced because one considers a longterm effect instead of an immediate quid pro quo.
British Dictionary definitions for quid

quid1

/kwɪd/
noun
1.
a piece of tobacco, suitable for chewing
Word Origin
Old English cwidu chewing resin; related to Old High German quiti glue, Old Norse kvātha resin; see cud

quid2

/kwɪd/
noun (pl) quid
1.
(Brit, slang) one pound sterling
2.
(Brit, slang) quids in, in a very favourable or advantageous position
3.
(Austral & NZ, slang) not the full quid, mentally subnormal
Word Origin
C17: of obscure origin

quid pro quo

/ˈkwɪd prəʊ ˈkwəʊ/
noun (pl) quid pro quos
1.
a reciprocal exchange
2.
something given in compensation, esp an advantage or object given in exchange for another
Word Origin
C16: from Latin: something for something
Word Origin and History for quid
n.

"bite-sized piece" (of tobacco, etc.), 1727, dialectal variant of Middle English cudde, from Old English cudu, cwidu (see cud).

"one pound sterling," 1680s, British slang, possibly from quid "that which is, essence," (c.1600, see quiddity), as used in quid pro quo (q.v.), or directly from Latin quid "what, something, anything." Cf. French quibus, noted in Barrêre's dictionary of French argot (1889) for "money, cash," said to be short for quibus fiunt omnia.

quid pro quo

1560s, from Latin, literally "something for something, one thing for another," from nominative and ablative neuter singulars of relative pronoun qui "who" (see who) + pro "for" (see pro-) + quo, ablative of quid.

quid in Culture
quid pro quo [(kwid proh kwoh)]

A fair exchange; the phrase is most frequently used in diplomacy: “The Chinese may make some concessions on trade, but they will no doubt demand a quid pro quo, so we must be prepared to make concessions too.” From Latin, meaning “something for something.”

Idioms and Phrases with quid

quid pro quo

An equal exchange or substitution, as in I think it should be quid pro quo—you mow the lawn and I'll take you to the movies. This Latin expression, meaning “something for something,” has been used in English since the late 1500s.