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Glite Dictionary
to get one's lumps

to get one's lumps

8.6
To be punished for something you did wrong
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : recibir lo que se merece
  • Shut up, or you'll get your lumps in a minute.

Examples

  • After ignoring the teacher's warnings, the students finally got their lumps when they had to stay after school.

  • He didn't study for the exam, so he knew he would get his lumps when the grades were posted.

  • If you don't follow the rules, you will get your lumps in the end.

Synonyms

to get in trouble
vsto get one's lumps
203 2.7

Face blame or punishment for something you did wrong

is more focused on receiving punishment rather than merely being in difficulty
to get it
vsto get one's lumps
  • Informal
113 8.2

To be punished or scolded for something you did

covers suffering consequences more broadly beyond just scolding
to get what's coming to someone
vsto get one's lumps
  • Informal
13 6.7

To receive punishment or bad results for doing wrong

is broader, applying to any punishment or consequence, not only deserved ones
to pay the piper
vsto get one's lumps
  • Informal
9 7.7

Accept the bad result of something you did

involves receiving punishment rather than choosing to settle accounts
to catch hell
vsto get one's lumps
  • Slang
5 8.2

To get a lot of blame or punishment for a mistake

is similar but can include any level of punishment, not only severe cases
to take one's medicine
vsto get one's lumps
  • Informal
5 6.1

Accept punishment or a bad result without complaining

involves receiving consequences but not necessarily without complaint
to take one's lumps
vsto get one's lumps
  • Informal
2 8.1

To accept unpleasant results and sometimes punishment for something you did

is the same idea but with different phrasing
to pay the fiddler
vsto get one's lumps
  • Archaic
1 8.9

Face the bad results of your actions after enjoying something

applies to consequences in general, not only after enjoying benefits
to burn one's fingers
vsto get one's lumps
  • Informal
1 8.1

Lose money or get hurt because of a mistake you make

refers to punishment or consequences rather than accidental harm

Antonyms

escape
77 1.1

An act of avoiding harm or a dangerous situation

Surface Forms

get one's lumps infinitive
getting one's lumps present participle
gets one's lumps third person singular
got one's lumps past
got one's lumps past participle

Morphology

get + one + lump

Although 'get' can mean 'receive', the noun 'lumps' does not transparently mean 'punishment' or 'blows' in its ordinary senses, and the possessive construction does not make the idiomatic sense predictable. The idiomatic meaning 'to receive punishment/Be beaten' is language-specific and would not be reliably inferred by a B1 learner who only knows the constituent words.

Etymology

Get one's lumps comes from the image of being hit until you have lumps or bumps on your head or body. One popular story says this came from fights or punishments where people ended up with lumps, so today it means 'to receive punishment or suffer the consequences'.