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Glite Dictionary
another think coming

another think coming

9.9
A warning that someone is wrong and will soon find out
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : otra cosa que pensar
  • If you think you'll win without practicing, you've got another think coming.

Examples

  • If you think you can cheat on your taxes without getting caught, you have another think coming.

  • She believes she can skip class and still pass; she has another think coming!

  • Anyone who believes the rules don't apply to them has another think coming.

  • She thought her plan would work flawlessly, but she had another think coming.

  • Anyone who believes the rules don't apply to them has another think coming.

  • If you think you can cheat on your taxes without getting caught, you have another think coming.

  • She believes she can skip class and still pass; she has another think coming!

Synonyms

to have another think coming
vsanother think coming
  • Informal
1 9.8

To be wrong about something and later be forced to change your mind

is used to tell someone they are wrong and will soon notice it

Surface Forms

another think coming singular
another thinks coming plural

Morphology

another + think + coming

The idiomatic sense 'you are wrong and will soon realize it' cannot be derived from the literal combination 'another' + 'think' + 'coming' (which would suggest an additional thought arriving). The expression is colloquial and structurally odd (use of 'think' as a noun and a truncated clause), so a B1 learner who knows the words would not reliably infer the idiomatic meaning.

Etymology

The idiom another think coming paints a picture of someone who is sure about something until a new thought, the think, arrives and proves them wrong. So, if someone 'has another think coming', they are wrong and will soon find out.