"a little from column A, a little from column B" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "Typical \"American Chinese\" restaurant menus of the mid-twentieth century presented food selections for combination entrees in a table with columns labeled \"A\" and \"B\". The customer was then advised, for example, to \"Choose one from Column A and one from Column B.\"",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-",
        "head": "a little from column A, a little from column B"
      },
      "expansion": "a little from column A, a little from column B (uncountable)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English reduplications",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1999, George Stephanopoulos, All Too Human: A Political Education:",
          "text": "Clinton would take a little from column A, a little from column B, depending on the day, his mood, and whom he had talked to last.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2005, Lou Harry, Eric Pfeffinger, The High-Impact Infidelity Diet:",
          "text": "Which is how I thought I knew it was going to be either really boring, or about my family, or a little from column A, a little from column B.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A combination of two factors or reasons."
      ],
      "id": "en-a_little_from_column_A,_a_little_from_column_B-en-noun-oH3gWV3V",
      "links": [
        [
          "factor",
          "factor"
        ],
        [
          "reason",
          "reason"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, informal) A combination of two factors or reasons."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "Chinese menu"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "a little from column A and a little from column B"
        },
        {
          "word": "one from column A, one from column B"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "informal",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-a little from column A, a little from column B.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/cc/En-au-a_little_from_column_A%2C_a_little_from_column_B.ogg/En-au-a_little_from_column_A%2C_a_little_from_column_B.ogg.mp3",
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  "word": "a little from column A, a little from column B"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "Typical \"American Chinese\" restaurant menus of the mid-twentieth century presented food selections for combination entrees in a table with columns labeled \"A\" and \"B\". The customer was then advised, for example, to \"Choose one from Column A and one from Column B.\"",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-",
        "head": "a little from column A, a little from column B"
      },
      "expansion": "a little from column A, a little from column B (uncountable)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "Chinese menu"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English informal terms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "English reduplications",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English uncountable nouns",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1999, George Stephanopoulos, All Too Human: A Political Education:",
          "text": "Clinton would take a little from column A, a little from column B, depending on the day, his mood, and whom he had talked to last.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2005, Lou Harry, Eric Pfeffinger, The High-Impact Infidelity Diet:",
          "text": "Which is how I thought I knew it was going to be either really boring, or about my family, or a little from column A, a little from column B.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A combination of two factors or reasons."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "factor",
          "factor"
        ],
        [
          "reason",
          "reason"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, informal) A combination of two factors or reasons."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "informal",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-a little from column A, a little from column B.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/cc/En-au-a_little_from_column_A%2C_a_little_from_column_B.ogg/En-au-a_little_from_column_A%2C_a_little_from_column_B.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/En-au-a_little_from_column_A%2C_a_little_from_column_B.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "a little from column A and a little from column B"
    },
    {
      "word": "one from column A, one from column B"
    }
  ],
  "word": "a little from column A, a little from column B"
}