To take it lying down In english explanation

The meaning, explanation, definition and origin of the idiom/phrase "to take it lying down", English Idiom Dictionary ( also found in Vietnamese )

Zelda Thuong

2020-12-03 04:12

Meaning of To take it lying down

Synonyms:

To take it lying down negative informal verb phrase

To accept insult or oppression without protesting

I have submitted to insult for years, but now I'm not going to take it lying down any longer.

She is not taking that snub lying down.

Other phrases about:

take the spear in one’s chest

To totally accept criticism, blame, or punishment for something.

sit still for (something)

1. To stay in a sitting position without fidgeting during something.
2. To not react to something; to bear something.

Grammar and Usage of To take it lying down

Verb Forms

taken it lying down
takes it lying down
taking it lying down
took it lying down

The verb "take" should be conjugated according to its tense.

More examples:

I saw he took the dismissal lying down, and packed his stuff and then left without an argument.

Origin of To take it lying down

(Image source: finedictionary.com)

The image conveyed by this expression is that of a cowed animal, which accepts its unhappy fate instead of jumping up in protest. This metaphor appeared first in the late nineteenth century and is most often put negatively. It was so used by Shaw in Androcles and the Lion (1914): “I should feel ashamed if I let myself be struck like that, and took it lying down.”