"rod for one's back" meaning in English

{
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "noun",
        "head": "(a) rod for one's back"
      },
      "expansion": "(a) rod for one's back",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
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          "source": "w"
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      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1866 Sept, Henry Kingsley, “Silcote of Silcotes”, in MacMillan's Magazine, volume 14, page 324",
          "text": "\"Silcote, you are making a rod for your back in your treatment of that child. She'll live to break your heart for you.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1997 October 4, John Williams, “Blair Maps Out Party's Long March”, in The Mirror, UK",
          "text": "Nobody is more wary of Tony Blair's record ratings and the illusion of the Prime Minister's omnipotence than Tony Blair himself. \"He thinks his approval ratings are a rod for his back,\" says one adviser.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2009 February 2, Dita De Boni, “Keeping Mum: Sparing the Rod?”, in New Zealand Herald",
          "text": "I can't get over how you parents let your children run riot over you. There must be some discipline in this surely, otherwise you will make a rod for your back when they get older.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The means of one's own punishment or downfall."
      ],
      "id": "en-rod_for_one's_back-en-noun-3G7hMYzU",
      "links": [
        [
          "punishment",
          "punishment"
        ],
        [
          "downfall",
          "downfall"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) The means of one's own punishment or downfall."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "hoist by one's own petard"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "rod for one's own back"
        },
        {
          "word": "rod for one's own breech"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-rod for one's back.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/5a/En-au-rod_for_one%27s_back.ogg/En-au-rod_for_one%27s_back.ogg.mp3",
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      "tags": [
        "Australia"
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      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "rod for one's back"
}

{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "noun",
        "head": "(a) rod for one's back"
      },
      "expansion": "(a) rod for one's back",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "hoist by one's own petard"
    }
  ],
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        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1866 Sept, Henry Kingsley, “Silcote of Silcotes”, in MacMillan's Magazine, volume 14, page 324",
          "text": "\"Silcote, you are making a rod for your back in your treatment of that child. She'll live to break your heart for you.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1997 October 4, John Williams, “Blair Maps Out Party's Long March”, in The Mirror, UK",
          "text": "Nobody is more wary of Tony Blair's record ratings and the illusion of the Prime Minister's omnipotence than Tony Blair himself. \"He thinks his approval ratings are a rod for his back,\" says one adviser.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2009 February 2, Dita De Boni, “Keeping Mum: Sparing the Rod?”, in New Zealand Herald",
          "text": "I can't get over how you parents let your children run riot over you. There must be some discipline in this surely, otherwise you will make a rod for your back when they get older.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The means of one's own punishment or downfall."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "punishment",
          "punishment"
        ],
        [
          "downfall",
          "downfall"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) The means of one's own punishment or downfall."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-rod for one's back.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/5a/En-au-rod_for_one%27s_back.ogg/En-au-rod_for_one%27s_back.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/En-au-rod_for_one%27s_back.ogg",
      "tags": [
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      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "rod for one's own back"
    },
    {
      "word": "rod for one's own breech"
    }
  ],
  "word": "rod for one's back"
}