Dictionary

taste of one's own medicine en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Meanings

1. (idiomatic, qualifier:usually preceded by a) Harsh treatment inflicted on one who previously inflicted similar or equivalent treatment on others.
   • The Long Tom in the stern of the schooner opened fire . . . and two men were seen to go down. The captain laughed. "That's a taste of their own medicine," he said. 1919, Joseph A. Altsheler, chapter 5, in The Sun Of Quebec:
   • "The man's spirit is evil enough to frighten people away and we will drop stones upon him, so that he can learn the taste of his own medicine." 1916, Rex Ellingwood Beach, chapter 27, in Rainbow's End:
   • Some stars reportedly even want to investigate the private lives of tabloid editors, to give them a taste of their own medicine. 2001 June 24, Richard Zoglin, “Hey, Wanna Buy Some Pix?”, in Time:

Forms

Relateds

turnabout is fair play · turn the tables

Synonyms

taste of one's own poison

Translations (22)

cmn 还治其人之身 (harsh treatment) · sv få smaka på sin egen medicin (harsh treatment) · cmn but see 以其人之道，還治其人之身 /以其人之道 (harsh treatment) · pl but see na własnej skórze (harsh treatment) · ga tomhas a láimhe féin (harsh treatment) · is but see í sömu mynt (harsh treatment) · fr récolter ce que l'on a semé (harsh treatment) · de am eigenen Leib erfahren (harsh treatment) · es dar el medio vuelto (harsh treatment) · nl koekje van eigen deeg (harsh treatment) · fr but see rendre la pareille (harsh treatment) · sk spadnúť do vlastnej jamy (harsh treatment) · de am eigenen Leib spüren (harsh treatment) · de but see mit gleicher Münze (harsh treatment) · fr rendre la monnaie de sa pièce (harsh treatment) · it pan per focaccia (harsh treatment) · cs spadnout do vlastní jámy (harsh treatment) · es dosis de su propia medicina (harsh treatment) · es cucharada de su propia medicina (harsh treatment) · hu but see egye meg, amit főzött (harsh treatment) · fi but see maistaa omaa lääkettään (harsh treatment) · uk відчути на власній шкурі (harsh treatment)