Split the baby in half

Posted by FMSS on August 01, 2008 at 06:53

What does "split the baby in half" mean exactly? What is the origin? Is it a reference to King Solomon? If so, why does it seem that it is used in situations where two parties share in some type of bounty (e.g. where a judge doesn't give either party what it seeks, but instead reaches a result somewhere in the middle). This is not the result in the King Solomon story.