"add insult to injury" meaning in English

See add insult to injury in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: en-au-add insult to injury.ogg [Australia] Forms: adds insult to injury [present, singular, third-person], adding insult to injury [participle, present], added insult to injury [participle, past], added insult to injury [past]
Etymology: Derived from the fables of Phaedrus in the first century C.E.. The story was of a bald man who swats at a fly which has just landed on his head, but instead hits himself on the head. The fly comments, "You wished to kill me for a touch. What will you do to yourself since you have added insult to injury?" The actual wording appears in English from the middle of the 18th century. Etymology templates: {{AD}} C.E. Head templates: {{en-verb|*}} add insult to injury (third-person singular simple present adds insult to injury, present participle adding insult to injury, simple past and past participle added insult to injury)
  1. (idiomatic) To further a loss with mockery or indignity; to worsen an already unfavourable situation. Wikipedia link: Phaedrus (fabulist) Tags: idiomatic Synonyms: heap insult on injury Derived forms: insult to injury Related terms: grave dancing Translations (to further a loss with mockery or indignity): زَادَ الطِّينَ بِلَّةً (zāda ṭ-ṭīna billatan) (Arabic), কাটা ঘায়ে নুনের ছিটে (kaṭa ghaẏe nuner chiṭe) (Bengali), 雪上加霜 (xuě shàng jiā shuāng) (Chinese Mandarin), føje spot til skade (Danish), pahentaa asiaa entisestään (Finnish), ajouter l’injure à l’insulte (French), pour couronner le tout (French), comme si ça ne suffisait pas (French), aínda por riba (Galician), sobre mel filloas (Galician), ცეცხლზე ნავთის დასხმა (cecxlze navtis dasxma) (Georgian), Salz in die Wunde streuen (German), όλα του γάμου δύσκολα κι η νύφη γκαστρωμένη (óla tou gámou dýskola ki i nýfi gkastroméni) (Greek), הוסיף חטא על פשע (Hebrew), הרצחת וגם ירשת (Hebrew), bæta gráu ofan á svart (Icelandic), gera vont verra (Icelandic), bæta móðgun við meingjörð (Icelandic), blammera (Icelandic), cuir an tarcaisne i gceann na héagóra (Irish), oltre il danno la beffa (Italian), 傷口に塩を塗る (kizuguchi-ni shio-o nuru) (Japanese), 설상가상 (seolsanggasang) (alt: 雪上加霜) (Korean), 엎친 데 덮친 격 (eopchin de deopchin gyeok) (Korean), na domiar złego (Polish), esfregar sal na ferida (Portuguese), a răsuci cuțitul în rană (Romanian), сы́пать соль на ра́ну (sýpatʹ solʹ na ránu) (Russian), bris mo chlaigeann air thùs, is an sin ciùrr mo chorrag (Scottish Gaelic), nuttata persa e figghia fìmmina (Sicilian), echar leña al fuego (Spanish), strö salt i såren (Swedish), đổ thêm dầu vào lửa (Vietnamese), xát muối vào vết thương (Vietnamese)

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for add insult to injury meaning in English (8.6kB)

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  "etymology_text": "Derived from the fables of Phaedrus in the first century C.E.. The story was of a bald man who swats at a fly which has just landed on his head, but instead hits himself on the head. The fly comments, \"You wished to kill me for a touch. What will you do to yourself since you have added insult to injury?\" The actual wording appears in English from the middle of the 18th century.",
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          "word": "insult to injury"
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        {
          "text": "As if the hostile takeover weren't enough, to add insult to injury they scrapped ninety percent of our products and replaced them with their own.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, page 52",
          "text": "[...] the line crossed over an iron bridge spanning Ludgate Hill itself [...] neatly obliterating any view of St Paul's from Ludgate Circus and Fleet Street. A thousand people had put their names to a petition against the bridge. To add insult to injury it carried a small thicket of railway signals as well as regular steam trains.",
          "type": "quotation"
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      "glosses": [
        "To further a loss with mockery or indignity; to worsen an already unfavourable situation."
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      "id": "en-add_insult_to_injury-en-verb-zBowKSmf",
      "links": [
        [
          "further",
          "further"
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          "loss",
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        [
          "mockery",
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          "worsen",
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        "(idiomatic) To further a loss with mockery or indignity; to worsen an already unfavourable situation."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "grave dancing"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "heap insult on injury"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
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      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "ar",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "roman": "zāda ṭ-ṭīna billatan",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "زَادَ الطِّينَ بِلَّةً"
        },
        {
          "code": "bn",
          "lang": "Bengali",
          "roman": "kaṭa ghaẏe nuner chiṭe",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "কাটা ঘায়ে নুনের ছিটে"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "xuě shàng jiā shuāng",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "雪上加霜"
        },
        {
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "føje spot til skade"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "pahentaa asiaa entisestään"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "ajouter l’injure à l’insulte"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "pour couronner le tout"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "comme si ça ne suffisait pas"
        },
        {
          "code": "gl",
          "lang": "Galician",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "aínda por riba"
        },
        {
          "code": "gl",
          "lang": "Galician",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "sobre mel filloas"
        },
        {
          "code": "ka",
          "lang": "Georgian",
          "roman": "cecxlze navtis dasxma",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "ცეცხლზე ნავთის დასხმა"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "Salz in die Wunde streuen"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "óla tou gámou dýskola ki i nýfi gkastroméni",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "όλα του γάμου δύσκολα κι η νύφη γκαστρωμένη"
        },
        {
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "הוסיף חטא על פשע"
        },
        {
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "הרצחת וגם ירשת"
        },
        {
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "bæta gráu ofan á svart"
        },
        {
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "gera vont verra"
        },
        {
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "bæta móðgun við meingjörð"
        },
        {
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "blammera"
        },
        {
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "cuir an tarcaisne i gceann na héagóra"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "oltre il danno la beffa"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "kizuguchi-ni shio-o nuru",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "傷口に塩を塗る"
        },
        {
          "alt": "雪上加霜",
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "roman": "seolsanggasang",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "설상가상"
        },
        {
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "roman": "eopchin de deopchin gyeok",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "엎친 데 덮친 격"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "na domiar złego"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "esfregar sal na ferida"
        },
        {
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "a răsuci cuțitul în rană"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "sýpatʹ solʹ na ránu",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "сы́пать соль на ра́ну"
        },
        {
          "code": "gd",
          "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "bris mo chlaigeann air thùs, is an sin ciùrr mo chorrag"
        },
        {
          "code": "scn",
          "lang": "Sicilian",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "nuttata persa e figghia fìmmina"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "echar leña al fuego"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "strö salt i såren"
        },
        {
          "code": "vi",
          "lang": "Vietnamese",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "đổ thêm dầu vào lửa"
        },
        {
          "code": "vi",
          "lang": "Vietnamese",
          "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
          "word": "xát muối vào vết thương"
        }
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "Phaedrus (fabulist)"
      ]
    }
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  "word": "add insult to injury"
}
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  "derived": [
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      "word": "insult to injury"
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      "form": "adds insult to injury",
      "tags": [
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        "third-person"
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      "form": "adding insult to injury",
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    {
      "form": "added insult to injury",
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    {
      "form": "added insult to injury",
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      "word": "grave dancing"
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        {
          "text": "As if the hostile takeover weren't enough, to add insult to injury they scrapped ninety percent of our products and replaced them with their own.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, page 52",
          "text": "[...] the line crossed over an iron bridge spanning Ludgate Hill itself [...] neatly obliterating any view of St Paul's from Ludgate Circus and Fleet Street. A thousand people had put their names to a petition against the bridge. To add insult to injury it carried a small thicket of railway signals as well as regular steam trains.",
          "type": "quotation"
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      "glosses": [
        "To further a loss with mockery or indignity; to worsen an already unfavourable situation."
      ],
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          "loss",
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        "(idiomatic) To further a loss with mockery or indignity; to worsen an already unfavourable situation."
      ],
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  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "heap insult on injury"
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  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ar",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "roman": "zāda ṭ-ṭīna billatan",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "زَادَ الطِّينَ بِلَّةً"
    },
    {
      "code": "bn",
      "lang": "Bengali",
      "roman": "kaṭa ghaẏe nuner chiṭe",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "কাটা ঘায়ে নুনের ছিটে"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "xuě shàng jiā shuāng",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "雪上加霜"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "føje spot til skade"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "pahentaa asiaa entisestään"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "ajouter l’injure à l’insulte"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "pour couronner le tout"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "comme si ça ne suffisait pas"
    },
    {
      "code": "gl",
      "lang": "Galician",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "aínda por riba"
    },
    {
      "code": "gl",
      "lang": "Galician",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "sobre mel filloas"
    },
    {
      "code": "ka",
      "lang": "Georgian",
      "roman": "cecxlze navtis dasxma",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "ცეცხლზე ნავთის დასხმა"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "Salz in die Wunde streuen"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "óla tou gámou dýskola ki i nýfi gkastroméni",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "όλα του γάμου δύσκολα κι η νύφη γκαστρωμένη"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "הוסיף חטא על פשע"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "הרצחת וגם ירשת"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "bæta gráu ofan á svart"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "gera vont verra"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "bæta móðgun við meingjörð"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "blammera"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "cuir an tarcaisne i gceann na héagóra"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "oltre il danno la beffa"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "kizuguchi-ni shio-o nuru",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "傷口に塩を塗る"
    },
    {
      "alt": "雪上加霜",
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "roman": "seolsanggasang",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "설상가상"
    },
    {
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "roman": "eopchin de deopchin gyeok",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "엎친 데 덮친 격"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "na domiar złego"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "esfregar sal na ferida"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "a răsuci cuțitul în rană"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "sýpatʹ solʹ na ránu",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "сы́пать соль на ра́ну"
    },
    {
      "code": "gd",
      "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "bris mo chlaigeann air thùs, is an sin ciùrr mo chorrag"
    },
    {
      "code": "scn",
      "lang": "Sicilian",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "nuttata persa e figghia fìmmina"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "echar leña al fuego"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "strö salt i såren"
    },
    {
      "code": "vi",
      "lang": "Vietnamese",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "đổ thêm dầu vào lửa"
    },
    {
      "code": "vi",
      "lang": "Vietnamese",
      "sense": "to further a loss with mockery or indignity",
      "word": "xát muối vào vết thương"
    }
  ],
  "word": "add insult to injury"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.