I'll see you and raise you

I'll see you and raise you

English

Etymology

From gambling.

Phrase

I'll see you and raise you

1. Used to accept (or call) a bet, and at the same time raise the stakes.

   I'll see your five and raise you ten.

   I'll see your bet and raise you one thousand.

   I'll see your $20 and raise you $200.

2. More generally, used when someone produces or reveals something. One says this to announce they will answer by producing or revealing something of their own, usually greater in significance.

   I'll see your defective gallbladder and raise you one heart murmur and a kidney stone.

   Well, sir, I'll see your four months in Vietnam and raise you the twenty years I spent serving as an Air Force pilot flying in conflicts as far-ranging as Grenada, Somalia, Bosnia, and Haiti.

   I'll see your gigabyte and raise you a terabyte.

Usage notes

• Often used with two direct objects; see the examples above.
• This is considered a string bet in most poker games and is not allowed.