Meaning of Idiom ‘Hand Something on a Silver Platter’
To hand something to someone on a silver platter means To provide something to someone for no effort, without being asked for, or without being earned; to give someone something they haven’t worked for; to make it easy for someone. 1Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.,2Heacock, Paul. Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms]. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010.,3Brenner, Gail. Webster’s New World American Idioms Handbook. John Wiley & Sons, 2011.
Also:
serve on a silver platter
on a silver salver
Usage Notes
Other words besides ‘have’ and ‘serve’ are possible as long as they mean to give or provide. Often used in the passive voice as in ‘to be handed something on a silver platter.’
Sentence Examples
“He doesn’t know anything about running a restaurant. His restaurant was handed to him on a silver platter by his mother, a famous restauranteur.”
“He’s used to everything being handed to him on a silver platter. He’s never had to work a day in his life.”
“It’s no wonder he can’t do the job. He’s had his whole life served on a silver platter.”
“You have to work hard to have a successful website. It doesn’t just get served to you on a silver platter.”
Origin
Used since the early 1900s, this idiom alludes to the silver platter or tray that a servant might use to hand something to a wealthy employer.
