serve someone right

English

Pronunciation

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Verb

serve someone right

1. (idiomatic, Of an unpleasant event) To happen to someone who is thought to deserve it.
   • 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe: Uncle Tom's Cabin (Chapter XVIII)

     "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."

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see serve,‎ right.

   If my memory serves me right, we had a similar discussion a few months ago.

Translations

happen to someone who deserves it

• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 抵死 (dai² sei²)

  Mandarin: 活該／活该 (zh) (huógāi), 活该 (zh) (huógāi)

• Dutch: zijn verdiende loon
• Finnish: olla jollekin oikein
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: jemandem recht geschehen, verdient haben
• Hungarian: megérdemli, úgy kell neki
• Portuguese: (ser) bem feito para object
• Spanish: habérselo merecido,habérselo buscado,estarle bien empleado
• Swedish: vara rätt åt någon

serves you right!

• Arabic: يخدم لكم الحق
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 抵死 (dai² sei²)

  Mandarin: 活該／活该 (zh) (huógāi), 活该 (zh) (huógāi)

• Czech: komu patřit (cs)
• 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!
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 様を見ろ！ (ざまをみろ！, zama-o miro!)
• Malay: padan muka!
• Maori: kaitoa!
• Polish: dobrze Ci tak! m or f, masz na co zasłużyłeś! m, masz na co zasłużyłaś! f, sam jesteś sobie winien! m, sama jesteś sobie winna! f
• Portuguese: bem feito!
• 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)
• Thai: สมน้ำหน้า (th) (sǒm-nám-nâa)

See also

• have it coming
• just deserts