# snitches get stitches

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/snitches-get-stitches
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

People who snitch or tattle will in return receive repercussions.

## Examples

- Be careful what you say because snitches get stitches.
- The kids in the back of the classroom warned him that snitches get stitches before he told the teacher who broke the window.
- Despite the mounting pressure from the authorities to identify the culprits, the witness remained silent, fully aware of the street code that snitches get stitches.

## Origin

The idiom was formed as a simple phonetic pairing, relying upon the rhyme between the noun snitch and the medical consequence represented by stitch.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.