glutton for punishment
8
7.9
- idiom
- /ˈɡlʌtən fɔr ˈpʌnɪʃmənt/
- Informal
:
masoquista
- He is such a glutton for punishment that he keeps taking on challenging projects at work.
I want to do everything, you know, it's almost like I'm a glutton for punishment.
- I want to do everything, you know, it's almost like I'm a glutton for punishment.
- But he's like, man, you are glutton for punishment.
Examples
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I'm a glutton for punishment, right?
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I'm obviously a glutton for punishment.
Blog text (28) -
Always was a glutton for punishment.
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Then, for a few years, I thought you were a glutton for punishment.
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Well, you are certainly a glutton for punishment, but Round 1 was so much fun... why not Round 2?
Blog text (32) -
Are you simply a glutton for punishment?
Blog text (26) -
Some are gluttons for punishment.
Blog text (32) -
- Well, I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment.
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I know I am a glutton for punishment; everyone else here seems to have abandoned you, Matt.
Blog text (27) -
- You're a glutton for punishment.
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
glutton + for + punishment
The phrase pairs 'glutton' (one who overindulges) with 'for punishment' to produce a metaphorical sense of someone who seems to relish or repeatedly take on unpleasant experiences; a learner who knows the constituent words can plausibly infer this idea. However, the meaning is non-literal and idiomatic—requiring metaphorical extension rather than straightforward composition—so it is not fully predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Glutton for punishment uses the image of a glutton, someone who eats too much, and punishment, meaning pain or hard treatment. It pictures a person who would 'eat' pain like food, so it means 'a person who willingly takes on unpleasant or difficult tasks'.