take one's half out of the middle

Referring to a scenario where one is entitled to half of something (e.g. half a cheese-wheel, half a cake, half a bed, or half of the width of a road for driving) but one takes one's half from the middle instead of one side, leaving the other person with a less desirable half (of the cheese-wheel or cake) consisting of crust or rind, or an unusable "half" (of the bed or road) made up of two separate pieces on either side.

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take one's half out of the middle (third-person singular simple present takes one's half out of the middle, present participle taking one's half out of the middle, simple past took one's half out of the middle, past participle taken one's half out of the middle)

1. To take the portion of something to which one is entitled, but in such a way that it shortchanges others.
   • 1897, Encyclopaedia of Wit and Wisdom, David McKay, page 154:

     A boy once complained of his brother for taking half of the bed. "And why not?" said his mother, "he is entitled to half, aint^[sic] he?"—"Yes, ma'am," said the boy; "but how should you like to have him take out all the soft for his half? He will have his half out of the middle, and I have to sleep on both sides of him."

   • 1965 October, “Ground Safety”, in TAC Action‎^[1]:

     Luke E. was up to about 45 mph when he entered the curve... that's when this knubbrain in a big Detroit job came barreling from the other way, hacking his half out of the middle. Luke E. whipped the wheel and headed for the shoulder.

   • 2008 October 14, thea, “Polytheism -> Monotheism -> Atheism”, in Atheism vs Christianity‎^[2] (Usenet):

     In fact, I have heard people say they didn't believe what some pastor said, because they did not live their three score and ten years. So your 66.2 is a bit shy. Satan is still taking his half out of the middle.

   • 2015 September 23, “We Saw You Have Sex on the Beach, Text About Drugs, and Eat Pizza While Cycling”, in The Stranger:

     Technically speaking, we all own the sidewalk. But last week, you were taking your half out of the middle, slowly lurching through the Belltown/South Lake Union border zone and staring into your phone.

   • 2016 September 14, Samantha Craggs, “Where should Hamilton's LRT stops be located? Did Metrolinx get it right?”, in CBC News:

     The current plan "takes up its half out of the middle and you can have what's left over."