to pay the fiddler
1
8.9
- idiom
- Archaic
:
pagar las consecuencias
- So, now it's time to pay the fiddler!
Examples
-
Time to pay the fiddler, whore!
-
It's just time to pay the fiddler, that's all.
-
After years of avoiding responsibility, he finally had to pay the fiddler for his reckless decisions.
-
She enjoyed her lavish lifestyle, but now she must pay the fiddler for ignoring her debts.
-
The company had a successful year, but now it's time to pay the fiddler and handle the consequences of their risky investments.
Synonyms
∞
4.1
To suffer bad results because of your actions
55
7.5
Accept blame or punishment, often instead of someone else
13
6.7
To receive punishment or bad results for doing wrong
9
7.7
Accept the bad result of something you did
8
6.0
To get the results of your actions, good or bad
2
8.1
To accept unpleasant results and sometimes punishment for something you did
1
8.1
To accept the cost or bad result of something
To accept the bad results of your own choices
To be punished for something you did wrong
Antonyms
How Severe
- Informal
12
5.8
- Informal
13
6.7
- Archaic
1
8.9
- Informal
19
4.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
pay + the + fiddler
Although the words 'pay' and 'fiddler' are individually clear (to give money; a violin player), the idiomatic sense 'face the consequences after enjoying benefits' is not directly derivable from paying a musician. The expression relies on cultural/metaphorical knowledge (similar to 'pay the piper') and would generally be unpredictable to a B1 learner who only knows the constituent words.
Etymology
The idiom pay the fiddler may come from old parties where a fiddler, a violin player, played for dancing. After the fun someone had to pay the fiddler, so the phrase now means 'face the consequences' or 'accept the cost' of your actions.