English Reference
Idiom idiom

get a taste of your own medicine


Get treated the way you've been treating others (negative)


SIMPLE

“He is always late, so today he gets a taste of his own medicine.”

CONTEXTUAL

“The manager was always rude to the staff, but he got a taste of his own medicine when the new director treated him the same way.”

COMPLEX

“After years of manipulating his rivals to gain power, the politician finally got a taste of his own medicine when his closest allies betrayed him for their own benefit.”


disputed origin

From Aesop's fable of the swindler who sells fake medicine and, when ill, is made to take it himself.

Last updated June 7, 2026