serve someone right - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
serve someone right (third-person singular simple present serves someone right, present participle serving someone right, simple past and past participle served someone right)
- (idiomatic, of an unpleasant event) To happen to someone who is thought to deserve it.
- 1851 June – 1852 April, Harriet Beecher Stowe, “Chapter XVIII”, in Uncle Tom’s Cabin; or, Life among the Lowly, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), Boston, Mass.: John P[unchard] Jewett & Company; Cleveland, Oh.: Jewett, Proctor & Worthington, published 20 March 1852, →OCLC:
"And they counts my money and tickets, when I gets home, to see if I's got the change; and if I han't they half kills me."
"And serves you right," said Jane, the pert chambermaid, "if you will take their money to get drunk on."
- 1851 June – 1852 April, Harriet Beecher Stowe, “Chapter XVIII”, in Uncle Tom’s Cabin; or, Life among the Lowly, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), Boston, Mass.: John P[unchard] Jewett & Company; Cleveland, Oh.: Jewett, Proctor & Worthington, published 20 March 1852, →OCLC:
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see serve, right.
If my memory serves me right, we had a similar discussion a few months ago.
happen to someone who deserves it
serves you right!
Arabic: يخدم لكم الحق
Chinese:
Cantonese: 抵死 (dai2 sei2)
Mandarin: 活該 / 活该 (zh) (huógāi)
Min Nan: 應該 / 应该 (zh-min-nan) (èng-kai), 死好 (sí hó)Czech: komu patřit (cs)
Finnish: ihan oikein sinulle
French: bien fait ! (fr)
German: geschieht dir recht!
Greek: καλά να πάθεις (kalá na pátheis), καλά να πάθετε (kalá na páthete)
Hungarian: megérdemled!, úgy kell neked!
Italian: ti sta bene!, ti sta come un vestito nuovo
Japanese: 様を見ろ！ (ざまをみろ！, zama-o miro!)
Malay: padan muka!
Māori: kaitoa!
Polish: dobrze ci tak, masz, na co zasłużyłeś/zasłużyłaś, sam/sama jesteś sobie winien/winna
Portuguese: bem feito! (pt)
Romanian: așa îți trebuie!, bine îți face! (of an event in the present), bine ți-a făcut! (of an event in the past)
Russian: подело́м тебе́! (podelóm tebé!), так тебе́ и на́до! (tak tebé i nádo!), сам винова́т! (sam vinovát!) (to a man), сама́ винова́та! (samá vinováta!) (to a woman)
Spanish: ¡te está bien empleado!
Swedish: rätt åt (någon)
Ukrainian: коту́зі по заслу́зі (kotúzi po zaslúzi), так тобі і треба (tak tobi i treba)