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Glite Dictionary
to pay (someone) back in (their) own coin

to pay (someone) back in (their) own coin

8.3
Treat someone in the same bad way they treated you
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : devolverle a alguien con la misma moneda
  • He had always been rude to others, so they finally paid him back in his own coin.

Examples

  • She decided to pay her back in her own coin after the insult.

  • If he keeps spreading rumors, someone will eventually pay him back in his own coin.

  • After being insulted, she decided to pay him back in his own coin by ignoring him at the meeting.

  • Don't pay him back in his own coin!

  • She decided to pay him back in his own coin after he insulted her at the party.

  • If he keeps being dishonest, I will pay him back in his own coin and show him how it feels.

  • After being treated unfairly at work, she knew she had to pay them back in their own coin.

Synonyms

to retaliate
vsto pay (someone) back in (their) own coin
105 7.3

To hurt someone because they hurt you

aims to match the previous treatment rather than general harm
to get back at
vsto pay (someone) back in (their) own coin
  • Informal
77 5.6

To do something to hurt someone because they hurt you

does this by returning the same kind of treatment instead of just punishment
to get even
vsto pay (someone) back in (their) own coin
  • Informal
46 5.4

To do something to hurt someone because they hurt you

responds by matching treatment rather than only equalizing outcome
to get back
vsto pay (someone) back in (their) own coin
  • Informal
24 4.2

Do something to hurt someone because they hurt you

focuses on matching the exact treatment rather than general revenge
to pay back
vsto pay (someone) back in (their) own coin
  • Informal
9 3.2

Do something to someone to hurt them for what they did

responds by matching the other person's treatment exactly
to pay off
vsto pay (someone) back in (their) own coin
  • Informal
1 5.1

Take revenge on someone for a wrong

does the same but focuses on matching the original unfair treatment

Antonyms

to forgive and forget
  • Informal
12 3.5

To stop feeling angry about a past event and be friendly again

How Vengeful

to avenge
95 4.9
to revenge
9 4.2
to pay (someone) back in (their) own coin
  • Informal
8.3
to get even
  • Informal
46 5.4

Surface Forms

pay (someone) back in (their) own coin infinitive
paying (someone) back in (their) own coin present participle
pays (someone) back in (their) own coin third person singular
paid (someone) back in (their) own coin past
paid (someone) back in (their) own coin past participle

Morphology

pay + (someone) + back + in + (their) + own + coin

The verb 'pay back' readily suggests returning something (including retaliation), and 'in one's own coin' uses a money metaphor meaning 'by the same means,' so a learner who knows the words can often infer the basic idea of retaliating in the same way. However, the metaphorical use of 'coin' and the fixed phrasing are not fully literal or automatically predictable for all learners, although many languages have an equivalent expression which increases partial recognizability.

Etymology

The idiom pay (someone) back in (their) own coin comes from the image of literally paying someone with their own coin, so you give back exactly what they gave you. That's why it means 'to get revenge by treating someone the same way they treated you'.