[Idiom] spirit

[smk]

What does the phrase "take it in the spirit it is offered" mean? I read this in a book where a gal said this to a guy before suggesting that his girlfriend might be hiding something from him. My understanding is that she is trying not to offend him. I just want to know what the phrase means. Btw, is this an idiomatic expression?

Thanks!

 

[Leandro-Z]

In Spanish we call it "Tomalo como de por quien venga". It means that if someone says something offensive to you, do not pay attention to him because you know the type of person he is. (It is a bad person, so don`t worry about what he can say to you).

 

[Leandro-Z]

As regards your last question... yes, it is an idiom. In that case, we have to look carefully at the context. I mean: book deals with an action, the action of hiding things to a boyfriend that could be a sort of unfaithfulness. If we pay attention to the meaning of the idiom and the story, the girl is sympathysing with the guy and supporting him with that expression "It doesn`t matter what she is hiding because, if she is doing so, it shows you the kind of person she is"

 

[Munch]

Leandro-Z, I think you are on the wrong track – maybe there is a similar expression in Spanish that has a different meaning.

[FONT=ＭＳ Ｐゴシック]Yes, it is an idiomatic expression. It is similar to “Don’t take this the wrong way.” It　means that if someone says something to you because they are being helpful or generous, you should try not to be offended or take it badly, even if you think they should not be saying that kind of thing to you. The “spirit” in this case are the good intentions the person has when they say something.[/FONT]

[FONT=ＭＳ Ｐゴシック]In this example, the girl probably says, “Take it in the spirit it is intended.” meaning, she is trying to help the boy. You can understand why the boy might get angry if someone told him that his girlfriend was hiding something. The girl knows this, so she asks the boy to remember that she is just trying to help him, so he should not be angry.[/FONT]

The first example that came to my mind was something like, "Please take this advice in spirit it was intended. I am trying to help you, not talk down to you or boss you around."

 

[5jj]

I agree with Munch. Leandro-Z is on the wrong track.

In a similar example to Munch's, I might say to Leandro-Z, "Thank you for mentioning the Spanish idiom. I can now add this to my list of 'false friends'. Please take this in the spirit in which it is offered." Here I am saying that my gratitude is genuine, not sarcastic or condescending (as it might perhaps appear).