to lump it
3
8.8
- phrasal verb
- /lʌmp ɪt/
- UK
- Love it or lump it, he is running your country for the next four years. Do you really want to let your resentment fester for that long?
Examples
-
We are as we are, and that's how we're going to stay... and if you don't like it, well, you can lump it.
-
You can either accept the new policies or lump it and find another job.
-
Alright, like it or lump it, here is my deal.
-
Like it or lump it, they all just had to get along.
Fiction book (2000) -
"You can like it or lump it, but you better get used to it because it's gonna happen.
Fiction book (1992) -
The rules of free trade will just have to be respected, like it or lump it, United States.
Academic text (2000) -
That means, like it or lump it, I'm going to have to do it without nuclear.
Blog text (9) -
That is how we rolled, like it or lump it.
Blog text (18) -
If you don't like that, you can lump it... you and the state of Texas.
-
The risks and rewards in issuing a loan have always been there; this time around, the banks are going to have to lump it.
Blog text (15)
Synonyms
∞
3.5
To tolerate an unpleasant situation without complaining
146
7.2
To accept something unpleasant without protest
81
8.8
Accept a difficult situation and continue without complaining
20
8.4
To accept something you do not want without complaining
8
7.2
To accept unfair treatment or criticism without complaining
5
6.8
To accept an unpleasant situation without complaining
2
8.1
To accept unpleasant results and sometimes punishment for something you did
1
8.6
Tell someone to accept a situation they cannot change
To accept the bad results of your own choices
Accept something as it is even if you do not like it
To accept something unpleasant during talks to avoid bigger problems
Antonyms
How Accepting
- Informal
81
8.8
- Informal
5
6.8
- UK
3
8.8
288
4.3
∞
3.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
lump + it
The meaning 'accept a situation without complaining' cannot be predicted from 'lump' (to put things together) plus the pronoun 'it' — the phrase is a colloquial, idiomatic usage where 'lump' has shifted to mean 'put up with' or 'endure'. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words would likely not infer this sense; there is no straightforward compositional or cross-linguistically common logic linking the parts to the idiomatic meaning.
Etymology
Lump it may come from the image of being given a hard lump you cannot refuse, so you must keep it and not complain. That's why lump it means 'accept something unpleasant without complaining'.