For example, if Jon gives a sword to Person A to give to B, Person A would tell B:
"Here, take this sword. [word] from/of Jon."
Was it "compliments"? I'm not certain.
"Here, take this sword. Compliments from/of Jon."
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"Compliments of" is the normal phrase, but make sure it's what you actually want. It usually means something is "free". So "compliments of Jon" would mean "here's something he's giving you free of charge, as a gift". A variant is "courtesy of", which is a little less specific. E.g. "Here, take this sword, courtesy of Jon." Or you could be more specific again, such as "Here, take this sword, gifted by Jon."– ralph.mNov 22, 2018 at 13:29
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Note that the contraction It’s fits your blank just fine.– JimNov 22, 2018 at 14:04
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The phrase "on behalf (of)" will work but it's not a single word. What's the intention here? Just to simply communicate that it actually was given by Jon or to formally present it?– alwayslearningNov 22, 2018 at 15:07
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No. You're assuming something that isn't stated. Person A: "I hate person B. I'm giving you this sword to give to them because I'm being forced to. If given the choice, I would take something away from B, not give them anything. This sword is being given against my will. Please express my disdain for B. I am certainly not complimenting them in any way." It's not the action that determines compliments. It's the intention behind it (which may or may not be complimentary).– Jason BassfordNov 22, 2018 at 18:53
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Can we go right back, please? The particular example "Take this sword. Compliments of Jon" led me for one, to think you'd been given a present and for some reason, passed it on to someone else. If you're describing the maitre d' in a hotel, the croupier in a casino or, yes, the waiter in a restaurant handing the young lady a bottle of champagne "compliments of the hungry-looking wolf at the other table". Those people aren't really "giving" something which came from someone else, except in the sense of a postman, courier or any other messenger.– Robbie GoodwinNov 23, 2018 at 14:38
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1 Answer
"Compliments of" is correct.
"Here's your steak sir, compliments of the house" means that the restaurant is giving it to you for free.
Merriam-Webster had another example with "compliments of the casino".
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Precisely, James. In what circumstances might the house give yo9u a free meal? Nov 22, 2018 at 20:29
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@RobbieGoodwin To keep me gambling... and there's no such thing as a free lunch!– JamesNov 23, 2018 at 10:05