When did the government become a game show?

The word ‘deal’ seems to be in the news.

What is the big deal?

To deal is to distribute (cards) in an orderly rotation to the players for a game or round.

“Play the hand you are dealt.”

To deal is to distribute or mete out (something) to a person or group.

“Deal me in.”

To deal is to take part in commercial trading (buying or selling) of a particular commodity.

“Get in on the deal”

To deal is to be concerned about, have to do with, discuss, consider, cover, pertain to, tackle, study, explore, investigate, examine, review, or analyze.

“Here is how we will deal with this.”

To deal is to buy and sell illegal drugs. 

“Who is your dealer?”

To deal is to take measures concerning (someone or something), especially with the intention of putting something right.

“That’s the deal.”

To deal is to cope with, handle, manage, treat, take care of, take charge of, take in hand, sort out, tackle, take on or control, act toward, or behave toward.  

“Deal with it.”

To deal is to cope with (a difficult person or situation).

“I’ll deal with your later.”

To deal is to have relations with (a person or organization), especially in a commercial context.

“It’s a deal”

To deal is to inflict (a blow) on (someone or something).

“Been dealt a blow”

To deal is to deliver, administer, dispense, inflict, give, and impose.

“Deal with it.”

A deal do two or more parties for their mutual benefit enter into an agreement, especially in a business or political context.

“Wanna make a deal?”

A deal is an agreement, understanding, pact, bargain, covenant, contract, treaty, arrangement, compromise, settlement, terms, transaction, sale, account.

“The deal is done.”

A deal is an attractive price on a commodity for a purchaser, or a bargain.

“What a deal!”

A deal is a particular form of treatment given or received.

“I got a deal.”

A deal is a significant but unspecified amount of something.

“It is no big deal.”

A deal is a thing considered important?

“Don't make a big deal out of minor irritations”

A deal is to make an agreement.

“It’s a deal.”

A deal is used to indicate that something is of little consequence. The deal is the situation or state of affairs.

“What’s the deal with you and that guy?”

A deal is authenticity.

“It’s the real deal.”

The guy who is on the cover of this book, thinks he can make better “deals” with our allies, corporate partners, global traders, unions, farmers and even our foes better than anyone before.

A policy is a deliberate system of principles to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent, and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. A governance body within an organization generally adopts policies. Policies can assist in both subjective and objective decision making. Policies to assist in subjective decision making usually assist senior management with decisions that must be based on the relative merits of a number of factors, and as a result are often hard to test objectively, e.g. work-life balance policy. In contrast policies to assist in objective decision-making are usually operational in nature and can be objectively tested, e.g. password policy.

The term may apply to government, private sector organizations and groups, as well as individuals. Presidential executive orders, corporate privacy policies, and parliamentary rules of order are all examples of policy. Policy differs from rules or law. While law can compel or prohibit behaviors (e.g. a law requiring the payment of taxes on income), policy merely guides actions toward those that are most likely to achieve a desired outcome.

Policy or policy study may also refer to the process of making important organizational decisions, including the identification of different alternatives such as programs or spending priorities, and choosing among them on the basis of the impact they will have. Policies can be understood as political, managerial, financial, and administrative mechanisms arranged to reach explicit goals. In public corporate finance, a critical accounting policy is a policy for a firm/company or an industry that is considered to have a notably high subjective element, and that has a material impact on the financial statements.

A contract is a promise or set of promises that are legally enforceable and, if violated, allow the injured party access to legal remedies. Contract law recognizes and governs the rights and duties arising from agreements. In the Anglo-American common law, formation of a contract generally requires an offer, acceptance, consideration, and a mutual intent to be bound. Each party must have capacity to enter the contract. Although most oral contracts are binding, some types of contracts may require formalities such as being in the form of a signed, dated written agreement in order for a party to be bound to its terms.

In the civil law tradition, contract law is a branch of the law of obligations.

Meeting of the minds (also referred to as mutual agreement, mutual assent or consensus ad idem) is a phrase in contract law used to describe the intentions of the parties forming the contract. In particular, it refers to the situation where there is a common understanding in the formation of the contract. Formation of a contract is initiated with a proposal or offer. This condition or element is considered a requirement to the formation of a contract in some jurisdictions.

An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called allies. Alliances form in many settings, including political alliances, military alliances, and business alliances. When the term is used in the context of war or armed struggle, such associations may also be called allied powers, especially when discussing World War I or World War II.

A formal military alliance is not required for being perceived, as an ally—co-belligerence, fighting alongside someone, is enough. According to this usage, allies become so not when concluding an alliance treaty but when struck by war.

When spelled with a capital “A”, “Allies” usually denotes the countries who fought together against the Central Powers in World War I (the Allies of World War I), or those who fought against the Axis Powers in World War II (the Allies of World War II). The term has also been used by the United States Army to describe the countries that gave assistance to South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

More recently, the term “Allied forces” has also been used to describe the coalition of the Gulf War, as opposed to forces the Multi-National Forces in Iraq which are commonly referred to as “Coalition forces” or, as by the George W. Bush administration, “the coalition of the willing”.

The Allied Powers in World War I (also known as the Entente Powers) were initially the United Kingdom, France, the Russian Empire, Belgium, Serbia, Montenegro and Japan, joined later by Italy, Portugal, Romania, the United States, Greece and Brazil. Some, such as the Russian Empire, withdrew from the war before the armistice due to revolution or defeat.

So what’s the deal?

When you and your employer sign an application to employment, it is a deal. You agree to produce for them as assigned and they agree to pay you for your services.

When you apply for credit to purchase things and services you cannot afford, you make a deal to payback all the money including interest.

When you marry you sign a piece of paper and pay a fee to make an emotional deal that will last until eternity.