take one's medicine

take one's medicine

English

Etymology

From the idea that medicine is good for one, but often unpleasant tasting.

Verb

take one's medicine (third-person singular simple present takes one's medicine, present participle taking one's medicine, simple past took one's medicine, past participle taken one's medicine)

1. To endure an unpleasant obligation, especially a punishment.
   • 1910, Arthur M. Winfield, The Rover Boys at College:

     Your resistance to our class won't do you any good . If you'll come out and take your medicine like men, all right; but if you resist it will go that much harder with you.

   • 1962, W. Cleon Skousen, So You Want to Raise a Boy?, page 203:

     if the police pick up "a real fine boy" —which most of them are — who has been fooling around, the boy's father can add a building block to Junior's personality by saying, "My boy, you know better. Now take your medicine like a man and we'll just call it one of life's lessons.”

   • 2015, L. M. Montgomery, Rainbow Valley, page 50:

     I s'pose I'll have to go back and take my medicine. Now that I've got some grub in my stomach I guess I can stand it.

   • 2015, Dave Warner, Before It Breaks, page 128:

     Today he felt obliged to take his medicine, to acknowledge the apex of his life had been reached and he was plunging in a billycart down the other side.

2. Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning: see take,‎ medicine.