pay the piper
Meaning: To pay for one's mistakes; to live with the consequences of one's (wrong) actions.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Category: Daily Life
Origin: A piper is a musician who plays on a pipe.
More idioms — Daily Life
- pencil pusher — An office worker; a bureaucrat who routinely does his or her paperwork job without any de…
- penny pincher — A person that doesn't like to spend money.
- peter out — To disappear gradually.
- pinch pennies — To be very careful with one's money; to be concerned about how one spends every penny.
- pink slip — Notice that one has been fired from one's job.
- play hardball — To work or act aggressively, competitively, or ruthlessly, as in business or politics.
More English idioms
- play one's cards right — To do all the right things and make all the right moves in order to achieve some end.
- play second fiddle — To be in a subordinate position; to have a lower rank or standing than someone else.
- pop the question — To ask someone to get married.
- pound of flesh — A (figuratively) painful payment of a debt.
- pull oneself up by one's bootstraps — To improve oneself (usually economically) without help from others.
- pull rank — To take advantage of one's superior position (one's rank).
Loading the full interactive collection…