taste of one's own medicine
Karma strikes back
To get a taste of one's own medicine is to experience the same unpleasant treatment you've given others.
The phrase implies deserved comeuppance—someone who has been rude, manipulative, or unfair now receives the same behavior directed back at them: After years of criticizing everyone's work, he finally got a taste of his own medicine when his report was torn apart.
To give someone a taste of their own medicine is to deliberately return such treatment.
- turn the tablesGain upper hand suddenly
- comeuppanceDeserved punishment or rebuke
- poetic justiceFitting outcome matching misdeeds
- karmaSpiritual cause and effect
- what goes around comes aroundActions have matching consequences
reciprocity · mirroring · hoist with one's own petard · punishment · payback · serves you right · quid pro quo · tit for tat · eye for an eye · accountability · cosmic justice · consequence · boomerang · blow up in your face · bitter pill · fairness · moral consequences · revenge
taste of one's own medicineforgiveness
Releasing resentment toward offenders
mercy · grace · letting it go · pardoning · clemency
tastes, tasted, tasting, tasteful, tasteless, tastier, tastiest, distaste, distasteful