take one's medicine

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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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. (idiomatic, informal) 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 figuratively or idiomatically: see take,‎ medicine.