My car broke down, and then it started raining to add insult to injury.
add insult to injury
idiom B2
To further a loss with mockery or indignity; to worsen an already unfavorable situation.
Origin
disputed originFrom the Roman fabulist Phaedrus' fable of the bald man and the fly (1st century AD): the man slaps at a fly, misses, and hits his own head — the fly adds insult to injury.
After losing the game, the referee gave me a penalty, which really added insult to injury.
The company fired him without notice, and to add insult to injury, they refused to pay his final month of salary.
- 01
add fuel to the fire
To worsen a conflict between people; to inflame an already tense situation.
- 02
add oil
Synonym of let's go: a cheer of encouragement, support, etc.
- 03
add up
To make sense; to be reasonable or consistent.
- 04
insult one's intelligence
To treat someone as if they are not intelligent or enough to understand something obvious.