What Is a ‘Quid pro Quo’?

If you’ve been following American politics for the last month or two, you are practically drowning in the phrase “quid pro quo,” and lots of people have been asking me about what it means and how to use it.

Google Trends search results for "quid pro quo" in October 2019.

What Is a ‘Quid pro Quo’?

“Quid” and “quo” are both Latin pronouns, and the word “pro” in the middle of “quid pro quo” means “for.” Latin dictionaries and old schoolbooks give multiple meanings for these pronouns, but modern sources agree that the interpretation of the Latin phrase “quid pro quo” is “something for something.” Technically, it can mean any kind of exchange or transaction, but these days it usually has a sense of corruption, as in “Was there a quid pro quo? Did Squiggly give you those chocolate donuts for an A on that test?”

It’s generally a noun (as in “Was there a quid pro quo?”), but you can also use it as an attributive to modify a noun, as in “It’s a quid pro quo issue.”

What Is the Origin of ‘Quid pro Quo’?

Interestingly, the phrase was used in a much more limited way when it first arose in the 16th century. According to Merriam-Webster, it was used when an apothecary substituted one kind of medicine for another, sometimes by accident and sometimes fraudulently on purpose. Sometimes it was fine—close enough—but as Ben Zimmer pointed out in an NPR interview, sometimes it would make people sick, so it wasn’t viewed as a good thing even back then. And then within just a few decades, the phrase started being used more generally.

Why Are There Two Different Latin Words for ‘Something’?

You might be wondering why we have two different words for “something”? Why isn’t it “quid pro quid” or “quo pro quo”?

Well, they aren’t two different words, exactly. According to the OED, “quō” is the...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips