pay the piper

[pahy-per]

pip·er

[pahy-per]
noun
1.
a person who plays on a pipe.
2.
a bagpiper.
3.
pay the piper,
a.
to pay the cost of something.
b.
to bear the unfavorable consequences of one's actions or pleasures: Someday he'll have to pay the piper for all that gambling.

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Pay the piper is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.

Origin:
before 1000; Middle English; Old English pīpere. See pipe1, -er1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To pay the piper
American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

pay the piper definition


To pay the consequences for self-indulgent behavior: “If you stay up late at night to watch TV, in the morning you will have to pay the piper.”

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

pay the piper

see under call the tune.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
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