GotoBrazil, It means "to give" but the idea is often "to give too much." Imagine many people at a dinner table, and in the middle of the table is a big plate of food mom has made. She picks up everyone's empty plate. Then she puts some food on each plate and hands it to the person. This is "dishing out" the food. The food is put on a "dish" and passed out. That is where the phrase comes from. Just like moms can sometimes give their family too much food, "dishing out" something frequently means that maybe too much was given. But it doesn't always mean "give too much." Sometimes it just means "to give." There is another common phrase: "He can dish it out, but he can't take it." This is a person who says bad things to other people all the time, but when someone says bad things to him, he gets very angry. Maybe you can see how the idea of "dish it out" means "gives too much" in this expression also. He gives too much criticism.