give someone a run—(coll.)
1. see whether smb. is suitable for a job, etc. by letting the person do it for a short time:
- She’s not someone I would normally date, but I’ll give her a run.
2. offer a strong challenge or competition to a person:
- John came in second but certainly gave her a run for most sales this quarter.
Note: The expression does not fully correlate in meaning with the phrase give someone a run for his money—
1. give someone a run 2:
- There was no obvious Democratic candidate poised to give Kyl a run for his money.
2. derive much satisfaction in return for one’s outlay or efforts:
- Well if anything has ever given me a run for my money, this morning definitely took the cake.
give someone the run—(of ) give a person permission to use smth. freely:
- Frank generously gave me the run of his extensive library.
Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase give someone the runs—(coll.) cause diarrhea:
- These pills won’t help and only give her the runs.