Englishhave the last laugh
Meaning: To outsmart or get revenge on someone who thinks he or she has been clever.
Example: “They mocked her small bakery, but with three shops now, she had the last laugh.”
Origin: Descends from a proverb tradition going back at least to the 15th century, expressed in various forms across several languages before settling into English. John Ray's 1678 proverb collection has an early English version, "better the last smile than the first laughter," which sharpened over time into the now-standard "he who laughs last, laughs best" (or "longest"). "Have the last laugh" is the streamlined modern form of that older saying, capturing the same idea in fewer words: real, lasting satisfaction belongs to whoever is still amused once the argument, contest, or joke has fully played out — not to whoever got the first, premature laugh.
More English idioms
- hit or miss Unplanned or random; equally likely to succeed or fail.
- hit pay dirt To find something of great value.
- hit the jackpot To get rich or find something of value.
- hit the sack To go to bed.
- hit the spot To satisfy in just the right way.
- hitch a ride To solicit a ride in someone's (a stranger's) car; to hitchhike.
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