take one's medicine
take (one's) medicine
To accept and do what has to without complaint or protest, especially when it is unpleasant or difficult. Though he didn't agree with the two-game suspension, he took his medicine and didn't gripe about it to the media. Hopefully the election result will send a clear message to the losing party, and they'll finally take their medicine and do what's right for the country.
See also: medicine, take
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
take one's medicine
Put up with unpleasantness, learn one's lesson. For example, After failing math, he had to take his medicine and go to summer school. This idiom uses medicine in the sense of "a bitter-tasting remedy." [Mid-1800s]
See also: medicine, take
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
- take (one's) medicine
- take medicine
- take your medicine
- like pulling teeth
- learn (something) the hard way
- learn the hard way
- get (something) over with
- get it over with
- find (something) out the hard way
- come to a bad end