get back at [one]
[redirected from get back at someone]get back at [one]
To punish or exact revenge on one in retribution for a past wrong. I thought I was being pretty funny by making those sarcastic remarks during the meeting, but the boss got back at me by doubling my workload that week. After spending the summer lifting weights, Jonah was ready to get back at the kids who had bullied him in school.
See also: back, get
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
get back at
Take revenge on, as in Watch out for Peter; he's sure to get back at you. Similarly, get one's own back means simply "get revenge," as in She finally saw a chance to get her own back. The first expression dates from the late 1800s, the second from the early 1900s.
See also: back, get
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
- get back at
- [hardy] har har
- FTFY
- IFTFY
- IFYPFY
- sorehead
- You call this [something]?
- smart mouth
- let's not and say [that] we did
- sarcasm is the lowest form of wit
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