had it both ways
Enjoyed contradictory benefits
To have it both ways is to benefit from two contradictory positions simultaneously—enjoying advantages that should be mutually exclusive.
The phrase usually appears negatively: You can't have it both ways.
Someone who claims to support transparency while hiding information is trying to have it both ways.
The past tense had it both ways describes someone who succeeded at this, often with a hint of criticism or grudging admiration.
- double-dealingDeceptive practice of betrayal
- straddleSit with legs spanning
- sit on the fenceAvoid committing either way
- paradoxSeemingly absurd truth
- exploitationSelfish use of others
split · cherry-picking · pick and choose · balance · fence · mask · fork · fairness · dichotomy · hypocrisy · ambivalence · self-interest · politics · hedging · selective · wanting it all · win-win situation · negotiation
had it both wayscommitted
Firmly pledged or bound
took a stand · made a choice · went all in · burned bridges · drew a line in the sand
had it both waysconsistent
Not varying or contradicting
principled · unequivocal · walked the talk · straightforward