A Taste of Your Own Medicine or Dose of Your Own Medicine

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Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond studied Advanced Writing & Editing Essentials at MHC. She’s been an International and USA TODAY Bestselling Author for over a decade. And she’s worked as an Editor for several mid-sized publications. Candace has a keen eye for content editing and a high degree of expertise in Fiction.

Do you enjoy a dollop of sweet, poetic justice? Then you’re probably familiar with the idiom a taste of your own medicine. It’s a phrase that’s both bitter and sweet, a symbol of karma’s sense of humor. But then there’s a dose of your own medicine. Does it mean the same thing? Let’s find out!

A Taste of Your Own Medicine Meaning Explained

A Taste of Your Own Medicine or Dose of Your Own Medicine 1

The phrase a taste of your own medicine is used to embody the idea of receiving the same mistreatment or discomfort that one has inflicted on others. It’s the verbal embodiment of the age-old principle of what goes around, comes around.

Get a Taste of Your Own Medicine or Dose of Your Own Medicine

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Taste of your own medicine and does of your own medicine usage trend.

So, both get a taste of your own medicine and get a dose of your own medicine are used in English. However, the choice between taste and dose generally boils down to personal preference. Both versions convey the same meaning of getting unpleasant treatment and are equally bitter when swallowed, I promise.

Synonyms for a Dose of Your Own Medicine

Swap out the phrase for any of these alternatives, and your message will still come across.

  • Reap what you sow
  • Taste your own poison
  • Get a taste of your own treatment
  • Suffer your own wrong
  • Feel the bite of your own deeds
  • What goes around, comes around

Origin and Etymology Behind a Taste of Your Own Medicine

The phrase was plucked from Aesop’s Fables, specifically “The Cobbler Turned Doctor.” A cobbler starts posing as a doctor and prescribes a remedy that works for one disease but kills another patient who has a different ailment. When the cobbler falls sick, the town gives him a taste of his own medicine (quite literally), leading to his death.

Using the Phrase: Examples in a Sentence

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  • After years of playing pranks on his coworkers, Steve tasted his medicine when they surprised him with a confetti bomb.
  • The school bully got a dose of his own medicine when the new kid turned out to be a black belt in martial arts.
  • That fraudulent lawyer is finally getting a taste of his own medicine with these embezzlement charges involving elderly people.
  • Jane gave her husband a dose of his own medicine, treating him with the same indifference he had shown her.
  • After years of neglecting his health, my dad finally had to taste his own medicine when the doctor prescribed a strict diet and exercise regimen.
  • Her abusive husband got a dose of his own medicine in jail. 

Make Sure the Medicine Is Good

That’s the bittersweet tale of the phrase a taste/dose of your own medicine. It’s a pretty common phrase in English that serves as a constant reminder of the law of karma, wrapped up neatly in a medical metaphor. So next time someone is getting a bit too high on their high horse, you’ll know exactly what idiom to use. Just remember, always prescribe this phrase responsibly!

Enjoyed reading about this idiom? Check out some others we covered: