the biter bit en · NOUN
Etymology
Ellipsis of the biter (is) bit.
Meanings
-
(UK) A hurt person who has hurt others in the past.
In a case of “the biter, bit”, ex-News of the World journalist, Andrea Vance, had her emails accessed and her movements tracked by the civil service.
2013 August 6, Malcolm Wright, “Snooping scandal shows disconnect between ranks of civil service”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:There was a bit of a Twitter storm recently after a bordeaux producer suggested that half the wine critics who rated the en primeur releases didn’t know their fundaments from their elbows. Well, fair enough, the biter bit and all that – chefs often have a go at restaurant critics, too.
2018 July 6, Fiona Beckett, “Four wines that don't need to make a point”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| the biter, bit | alternative | lexicographic | |
| the biter bitten | alternative | lexicographic |
Relateds
beat someone at their own game · turn the tables
Translations (5)
pl drań (a hurt person who has hurt others in the past) · fr tel est pris qui croyait prendre (a hurt person who has hurt others in the past) · hu akasztják a hóhért (a hurt person who has hurt others in the past) · fr arroseur arrosé (a hurt person who has hurt others in the past) · fi pilkattu pilkkaaja (a hurt person who has hurt others in the past)