Glossary entry

English term or phrase:

come right back to bite

English answer:

it has turned out to be a bad decision / he has brought these problems on himself

Added to glossary by Petro Ebersöhn (X)
Jun 28, 2014 09:50
9 yrs ago
2 viewers *
English term

come right back to bite

Non-PRO English Other Slang
This is a term in a short story, probably American slang. The guy is posing as Santa in a mall. Sentence:

"So far, the idea of getting a seasonal job at the mall during the holidays had come right back to bite."

It goes on then, complaining about all the negatives he is experiencing.

Can someone help please? Or do you need more information?

Discussion

Petro Ebersöhn (X) (asker) Jun 29, 2014:
Thanks everybody for your participation. It was difficult to choose because both the answers, as well as Piyush's discussion entry fits. I decided on Charles' because that one is the easiest to convert into my home language.
Charles Davis Jun 28, 2014:
@ Piyush I'd say it's pretty well the same idea, yes.
Piyush Ojha Jun 28, 2014:
@Charles Davis Doesn't 'backfired' convey the same idea succinctly?

Responses

+1
1 hr
Selected

it has turned out to be a bad decision / he has brought these problems on himself

Yes, certainly it means he's not enjoying it, he's having a bad time, but the specific sense of "come back to bite (him)" is that he realises that all these negative things are the result of the deciding to take the job: it is his idea of getting the job that has come back to bite him. So the emphasis is on the idea that this decision has has unpleasant consequences. All the bad stuff he's living through now is the result of that decision. So the emphasis is on the fact that it was a bad move to take the job in the first place; he has unwittingly caused himself all this trouble which makes it all the worse.

"Come back to bite" is an expression that conveys above all unforeseen negative consequences of decisions people make, specifically unforeseen costs to themselves.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2014-06-28 11:29:51 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"Come back to bite" very often has the sense of paying the price for our mistakes, sometimes with the idea that we did something wrong to gain some advantage and it's turned out to our disadvantage. You can say that someone's lies have come back to bite them, meaning that those lies are now causing them problems. Metaphorically it's the idea of using an animal to bite someone or something and then having that animal turn on you and bite you. "The biter bit".
Peer comment(s):

agree Jack Doughty
31 mins
Thanks, Jack
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks, Charles."
+1
9 mins

he's now experiencing all the negative things about the job

he might have had doubts about taking on the job in the first place, and now he's possibly regretting his decision as he is not having a very positive experience....

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 mins (2014-06-28 10:01:48 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

the expression means that there are repercussions

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 16 mins (2014-06-28 10:07:12 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/come-back...
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090426162956A...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 hrs (2014-06-28 15:28:04 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Welcome to Proz by the way!
Peer comment(s):

agree Tina Vonhof (X)
3 hrs
many thanks Tina:-)
Something went wrong...
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search