If you are involved in any kind of intense negotiation and you have to find the appropriate phrase to seal the deal, then saying 'make me an offer I can't refuse' is a common way to steer the conversation there. The expression is a way to ask for a negotiation counterpoint. This post unpacks the meaning and orgin of this saying.
Meaning
The phrase 'make me an offer I can't refuse' is a common saying with its roots in popular culture. The phrase is usually said to someone who is involved as the other party in a negotiation, and it is said for someone to ask for a counterpoint from the other person.
If someone says 'make me an offer I can't refuse' then they are asking the other person for an offer that would be good enough to agree upon as the final one.
The phrase has become a very common popular culture reference, and it has been used in everything from advertising to parody shows like Family Guy.
When someone is given an 'offer they can't refuse' then the phrase implies that what is being offered would be too good for anyone to pass up.
The phrase can be used in serious negotiation but it can also be applied in general conversation, where the meaning of the phrase can be used as a joke.
If the phrase is used in a joking way, then it is usually obvious from the context of the rest of the sentence that the speaker is joking.
The phrase can be used as a question – asking for an offer that someone can't refuse – or as a statement, saying that something is an 'offer they can't refuse' instead.]
While gramatically sound, the phrase is almost never used in the plural form.
Example Usage
“He said that he was going to take us on a tour to see the Cheeseburger Museum, and it was an offer that I can't refuse.”
“Make me an offer I can't refuse on this car gadget that will light three of your cigarettes at a time. It was a big thing in the seventies next to the invention of the car phone.”
“If you want to buy my car from me, then you're going to have to make me an offer I can't refuse or I'll sell it to someone else.”
“It was an offer we couldn't refuse, so we chose a trip to the Cheeseburger Museum and we actually had a great time there.”
Origin
The origin of the phrase 'make me an offer I can't refuse' can be traced back to its use in THE GODFATHER series of novels by writer Mario Puzo.
After its use in the book, published in 1969, use of the phrase 'offer I can't refuse' became much more popular. Use of the phrase would again become more popular when it was again included in the movie, which is one of the highest-grossing movies of all time.
The phrase has been included on many lists of “best all-time movie quotes”, and often appears in the top five as an expression that has made it into modern pop culture.
Phrases Similar to Make Me an Offer I Can't Refuse
- I'll have what she's having
Phrases Opposite to Make Me an Offer I Can't Refuse
- N/a
What is the Correct Saying?
- Make [me/them/us] an offer [we/I/they] can't refuse
Ways People May Say Make Me an Offer I Can't Refuse Incorrectly
There are several ways in which someone can use the phrase 'make me an offer I can't refuse' in the wrong way, or misunderstand the meaning of the expression.
The phrase can be used as serious or joking, though the context is usually apparent from the rest of what is being said.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase Make Me an Offer I Can't Refuse
The correct way to use the phrase 'make me an offer I can't refuse' is to use it as a statement, or as a question that asks a negotiation-counterpoint from the other party in the conversation.
The phrase can be used as serious or joking, but the context is apparent from what has been said.