IdiomDaily Life
English
Englishpound of flesh
Meaning: A (figuratively) painful payment of a debt.
Example: “The bank got its pound of flesh in fees before releasing the funds.”
Origin: From Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice (around 1597), in which the moneylender Shylock lends money to Antonio on the condition that if the loan is not repaid he may cut a pound of flesh from Antonio's body. The phrase means insisting ruthlessly on what one is owed.
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- pull the rug out from under someone To abruptly ruin someone's plans or expectations.
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- raise Cain To cause a disturbance, often because one is extremely angry; to make trouble.
- rake someone over the coals To reprimand or criticize someone harshly.
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