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Glite Dictionary
to ask for it

to ask for it

36 5.4
Behave in a way that causes trouble for yourself
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : buscarse problemas
  • If you keep disrespecting your boss, you're just asking for it.
  • Okay, you asked for it
  • guy asks for it

And then one after another, you did ask for it.

Examples

Synonyms

to asking for it
vsto ask for it
  • Informal
19 7.8

To act in a way that makes trouble or harm likely

focuses more on causing harm to oneself than on receiving criticism
to ask for trouble
vsto ask for it
  • Informal
12 4.8

Act in a way likely to cause problems

is similar but lacks the emphasis on persistence in causing trouble

Antonyms

to play it safe
42 3.4

Choose a careful option to avoid risks

How Risky

to tempt fate
  • Informal
9 7.3
to ask for it
  • Informal
36 5.4
to push it
  • Informal
39 5.3
pushing boundaries
  • Informal
3 6.0

Surface Forms

ask for it infinitive
asked for it past
asked for it past participle
asking for it present participle
asks for it third person singular

Morphology

ask + for + it

Literally 'ask for it' would mean to request something, but in the idiomatic sense 'it' refers to trouble or punishment and 'ask' has a metaphorical sense of 'invite' or 'bring on oneself'. The connection to the constituents is partially inferable (ask→invite), yet the specific meaning 'to provoke trouble' is not fully predictable for a B1 learner without exposure, so it is best classed as semi-transparent.

Etymology

The idiom ask for it comes from a simple picture: someone does something dangerous or rude—like sticking a hand in a beehive or standing too close to an angry dog—as if they were asking for trouble. So the phrase means 'to behave in a way that makes harm or trouble likely'.