share and share alike

English

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Noun

share and share alike (uncountable)

1. (idiomatic) For members of a group, equal portions of or equal access to tangible or intangible goods, entitlements, or obligations—i.e., each person's share like each of the other shares. Often used in a context of reciprocity, or pooling resources.
   • 1697, Daniel Defoe, “Of Academies”, in An Essay Upon Projects:

     [E]xquisite beauty is rarely given with wit, more rarely with goodness of temper, and never at all with modesty. And some, pretending to justify the equity of such a distribution, will tell us it is the effect of the justice of Providence in dividing particular excellences among all His creatures, "Share and share alike, as it were," that all might for something or other be acceptable to one another.

   • 1897, Edward Stratemeyer, chapter 13, in Young Auctioneers; or, the polishing of a Rolling Stone:

     "I can tell stories and sing and sell more goods than any one has any idea of. Besides that, I’ve got a new corn salve I put up myself which goes like hot cakes. Barberry’s Lightning Salve, I call it — my name is Paul Barberry, you know — Dr. Barberry, most of ’em call me. Say the word, and I’ll go with you and put up my salve against your outfit, and we’ll share and share alike."

   • 1898, Arthur Conan Doyle, chapter 8, in The Tragedy of the Korosko:

     "No, no, share and share alike," he cried. "All sink or all swim, and the devil take the flincher."

   • 1919, Pat Beauchamp, chapter 3, in Fanny goes to War (First Aid Nursing Yeomanry):

     "It was quite usual in those days to be stopped by a soldier waiting on the road, who, with a gallant bow and salute, asked your permission to "mount behind" and have a lift to so and so. In fact, if you were on foot and wanted to get anywhere quickly it was always safe to rely on a military car or ambulance coming along, and then simply wave frantically and ask for a lift. Very much a case of share and share alike."

   • 1921, B. M. Bower, chapter 1, in Sawtooth Ranch:

     Share and share alike, they lived and worked and wrangled together like brothers.

2. (law) Equal rights to or equal portions of profits, assets, bequests, or other valuable items legally owed to investors, partners, beneficiaries, or other named associates. If one beneficiary is unable to benefit (for instance, if they have died), their share is divided among the others.
   • 1845, James Fenimore Cooper, chapter 4, in Satanstoe:

     "And your father and mine have purchased all this land in company, you say—share and share alike, as the lawyers call it."

   • 1849 May – 1850 November, Charles Dickens, chapter 31, in The Personal History of David Copperfield, London: Bradbury & Evans, […], published 1850, →OCLC:

     [O]n his decease, the principal to be equally divided between Peggotty, little Emily, and me, or the survivor or survivors of us, share and share alike.

   • 2000 September 27, “In Our Pages 75 Years Ago”, in New York Times, retrieved 4 Sept 2013:

     [T]he husband, ordered by the court to divide his property share and share alike, sawed the family piano in half, together with the tables, chairs, pictures, rugs and draperies, and loading these on a truck had the halves carted to the new home of his wife.

Usage notes

• This noun is usually used as modifier describing a situation or action, with the sense "in equal portions".
• When used as a modifier, share and share alike is often hyphenated if it immediately precedes the term it modifies, as in:

• 1960 March 30, “Yalesville Sewer Line Okayed”, in Meriden Record, retrieved 5 Sept 2013, page 13:

[T]he residents of Ridgeland would share the cost of the project on a share-and-share-alike basis.

Verb

share and share alike (third-person singular simple present shares and shares alike, present participle sharing and sharing alike, simple past and past participle shared and shared alike)

1. (idiomatic) To divide possessions, benefits, or obligations equally among members of a group.
   • 1893, Horatio Alger, chapter 3, in In A New World: Among the Gold Fields of Australia:

     "Our money will soon be gone at that rate," said Jack soberly. "Mine is already gone."
     "No, it isn't, Jack. We are going to share and share alike, you know."

   • 1895, Howard Pyle, “Much shall have more and little shall have less”, in Twilight Land:

     To be sure, until now they had always shared and shared alike, but here was the first great lump of good-luck that had ever fallen in his way, and he was not for spoiling it by cutting it in two to give half to a poor beggar-man such as his brother.

   • 1986 January 5, Sue Blocker et al., “New Laws Affecting Area Kicked In Jan. 1”, in The Telegraph-Herald, retrieved 4 Sept 2013, page 3:

     In Wisconsin, the childhood rule to share and share alike became the law of the land for married couples under the state's new marital property law.

References

• “share and share alike”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.