"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 entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English reduplications",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "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": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "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": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "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",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/En-au-a_little_from_column_A%2C_a_little_from_column_B.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "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 entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English idioms",
        "English informal terms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "English reduplications",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English uncountable nouns",
        "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": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "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": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "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",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "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"
}