get medieval
Go extremely violent
Get medieval means to resort to extreme, brutal, or violent methods—evoking the torture and savagery associated with the Middle Ages.
Popularized by the 1994 film *Pulp Fiction*: I'm gonna get medieval on your ass.
The phrase usually implies threats of physical punishment or aggressive retaliation, often used hyperbolically: If they don't fix this billing error, I'm about to get medieval.
Deliberate infliction of suffering
- brutalSavagely harsh or severe
- savageFierce and untamed
- viciousCruelly aggressive in nature
- mercilessShowing no clemency
ruthless · bloodthirsty · vengeance · payback · retaliation · beatdown · pummel · thrash
Ownership stakes or inventory
- pilloryPublic punishment restraint
- gallowsExecution hanging apparatus
- dungeonSubterranean prison chamber
- floggingBeating as punishment
shackles · iron maiden · oubliette · the rack · quartering · branding · beheading · drawing
Land-for-service social structure
- chivalryKnightly code of honor
- knightsTitled warriors on horseback
- castlesFortified royal residences
- manorLanded aristocratic residence
serfs · vassals · crusades · guilds · tapestries · monasteries · cathedrals · heraldry
torture
Deliberate infliction of suffering
merciless · ruthless · bloodthirsty · vengeance · payback · retaliation · beatdown · pummel · thrash · pulverize
stocks
Ownership stakes or inventory
- pilloryPublic punishment restraint
- gallowsExecution hanging apparatus
- dungeonSubterranean prison chamber
flogging · shackles · iron maiden · oubliette · the rack · quartering · branding · beheading · drawing · thumbscrews
feudalism
Land-for-service social structure
manor · serfs · vassals · crusades · guilds · tapestries · monasteries · cathedrals · heraldry · jousting
get medievalmeasured response
Controlled, proportional reply
turn the other cheek · hold back · pull punches · de-escalate · play nice
get medievalturn the other cheek
Refuse to retaliate
negotiate · make peace · de-escalate · forgive and forget · talk it out
gets, getting, medieval, medievalism, medievalist, medievalists