A taste of your own medicine
/ə teɪst əv jɔːr oʊn ˈmedɪsɪn/informal, neutralUK · US · AU · IE · CA
What does “A taste of your own medicine” mean?
A taste of your own medicine means this means experiencing the same bad or unfair treatment that you have given to others.
This phrase means that a person receives the same negative action they inflicted on someone else. It often happens when a bully or an unkind person is treated badly in the exact same way.
People usually say this with a feeling of justice or mild satisfaction. It suggests that the person deserved the bad experience and might learn a lesson from it.
When do people say it?
People use this phrase when someone who acts unkindly is treated the same way in return.
“He always interrupted others in meetings, so he got a taste of his own medicine when nobody let him speak.”
Is it formal or informal?
Register: informal, neutral. It is most at home in both everyday conversation and professional writing. Most common in UK and US and AU and IE and CA.
Where does it come from?
The phrase comes from an ancient fable by Aesop about a swindler who sold fake medicine. When the man fell ill, the people gave him his own useless cure.
Origin confidence: Well documented
How do you say “A taste of your own medicine” in other languages?
Last reviewed 2026-09-11