Dutch treat
noun Sometimes Offensive.
a meal or entertainment for which each person pays his or her own expenses.
Origin of Dutch treat
First recorded in 1870–75
usage note for Dutch treat
A
Dutch treat is not a treat at all. Because
Dutch is used here to negate the concept of a generous treat, the term is sometimes perceived as insulting to or by the Dutch. See also
Dutch.
British Dictionary definitions for dutch treat
Dutch treat
noun
informal
an entertainment, meal, etc, where each person pays for himself
Cultural definitions for dutch treat
Dutch treat
An outing or date on which each person pays his or her own way. To “go Dutch” is to go on such a date.
Idioms and Phrases with dutch treat
Dutch treat
An outing or date in which each person pays his or her own expenses. For example, Her parents agreed that she might date if it were a Dutch treat. The related expression go Dutch means “to go on a date with each person paying their own way,” as in Students often elect to go Dutch. The first term dates from about 1870, and the variant from the early 1900s.