add insult to injury

To exacerbate an already disappointing, embarrassing, or otherwise unpleasant situation. A: "Well, it's not like you were having a great season before you broke your leg." B: "Thanks for adding insult to injury." I was already late for work and, to add insult to injury, I spilled coffee all over myself. A: "The team is already on a 10-game losing streak, and, to add insult to injury, their star player is going to miss tonight's game with the flu." B: "I guess we'll be reporting on an 11-game losing streak tomorrow, huh?"

See also: add, injury, insult, to

an insult to one is an insult to all

The belief that, when one person in a group is insulted, the insult extends to everyone in that group. A: "Was I rude to her? Yeah, probably—but I didn't mean it as a slight against everyone who's in a wheelchair!" B: "Maybe not, but you're a prominent politician. From the media's perspective, an insult to one is an insult to all." Just remember that most of the people in this neighborhood are Polish, and an insult to one is an insult to all. I'm not surprised you got beat up after mouthing off to the leader of that gang. To them, an insult to one is an insult to all.

fire insults at (one)

To insult one in rapid succession. That bully is constantly firing insults at the other kids in class. Don't mind them, they always fire insults at each other. They bicker like an old married couple. Hey, don't fire insults at me—I had nothing to do with the delay!

fire questions at (one)

To rapidly ask one questions. Can you please not fire questions at me as soon as I get home from work? Once your kids start talking, look out—they'll fire questions at you nonstop. Hey, don't fire questions at me, I had nothing to do with the mix-up!

hurl insults (at one)

To insult one in rapid succession. That bully is constantly hurling insults at the other kids in class. Don't mind them, they always hurl insults at each other. They bicker like an old married couple. Hey, there's no need to hurl insults—we had nothing to do with the delay!

throw (something) back and forth

1. To take turns tossing something between one another. My son and I discussed a lot of things while we threw the baseball back and forth in the back yard. The bullies stole the girl's stuffed animal and threw it back and forth above her head.

2. To discuss various ideas, points, arguments, etc., with one another. We all sat around the table and threw ideas for a new product back and forth. We started something of an informal debate about the topic, throwing arguments and counterpoints back and forth for the duration of the class.

3. To alternate making verbal attacks, insults, quips, etc., at one another. My dad and my boyfriend kept throwing snide remarks back and forth throughout the dinner, until eventually I snapped at them to cut it out. The two presidential candidates spent the entirety of the debate throwing insults back and forth.

throw insults (at one)

To say insulting, petulant things (directly to one). The student threw insults at her teacher after she got an F on her assignment. She made such a conclusive argument during the debate that all her opponent could do was resort to throwing insults.

toss (something) back and forth

1. To take turns throwing something lightly or casually between one another. My son and I discussed a lot of things while we tossed the baseball back and forth in the back yard. The bullies stole the girl's stuffed animal and tossed it back and forth above her head.

2. To discuss various ideas, points, arguments, etc., with one another. We all sat around the table and tossed ideas for a new product back and forth. We started something of an informal debate about the topic, tossing arguments and counterpoints back and forth for the duration of the class.

3. To alternate making verbal attacks, insults, quips, etc., at one another. My dad and my boyfriend kept tossing snide remarks back and forth throughout the dinner, until eventually I snapped at them to cut it out. The two presidential candidates spent the entirety of the debate tossing insults back and forth.

trade insults (with one)

To alternate saying insulting things (with one). My dad and my boyfriend kept trading insults throughout the dinner, until eventually I snapped at them to cut it out. She traded insults with her opponent for the whole debate.

add insult to injury

Fig. Cliché to make a bad situation worse; to hurt the feelings of a person who has already been hurt. First, the basement flooded, and then, to add insult to injury, a pipe burst in the kitchen. My car barely started this morning, and to add insult to injury, I got a flat tire in the driveway.

See also: add, injury, insult, to

hurl insults (at someone)

and throw insults (at someone)

Fig. to direct insults at someone; to say something insulting directly to someone. Anne hurled an insult at Bob that made him very angry. If you two would stop throwing insults, we could have a serious discussion.

throw insults

(at someone) Go to hurl insults (at someone).

trade insults (with someone)

to take turns with someone in mutual insulting. We traded insults with each other for a while and then settled down to some serious discussions of our differences.

add insult to injury

Hurt a person's feelings after doing him or her harm; also, make a bad situation worse. For example, Not only did the club refuse him, but it published a list of the rejected applicants-that's adding insult to injury , or The nearest parking space was half a mile away, and then, to add insult to injury, it began to pour : The phrase is an ancient one, even older than its often cited use in the Roman writer Phaedrus's fable of the bald man and the fly. A fly bit the head of a bald man, who, trying to crush it, gave himself a heavy blow. The fly then jeered, "You want to avenge an insect's sting with death; what will you do to yourself, who have added insult to injury?" In English it was first recorded in 1748.

See also: add, injury, insult, to

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

add insult to injury

COMMON If someone or something adds insult to injury, they make a bad situation worse by doing or causing another bad thing. She stood there and made him wash every part of his body. She then added insult to injury by trimming his hair and making him wear a linen shirt several sizes too big for him. Birth is such a shock, and what usually follows adds insult to injury. The poor little thing is held upside down and slapped. Note: You can use to add insult to injury or adding insult to injury to introduce a further unpleasant thing that has happened and that you are reporting. The driver of the car that killed Simon Collins got away with a £250 fine. To add insult to injury, he drove away from court in his own car.

See also: add, injury, insult, to

add insult to injury

do or say something that makes a bad or displeasing situation even worse.

This phrase comes from Edward Moore's play The Foundling ( 1748 ): ‘This is adding insult to injuries’.

See also: add, injury, insult, to

add ˌinsult to ˈinjury

make a bad relationship with somebody worse by offending them even more: She forgot to send me an invitation to her party and then added insult to injury by asking to borrow my jacket!

See also: add, injury, insult, to

fire ˈquestions, ˈinsults, etc. at somebody

ask somebody a lot of questions one after another or make a lot of comments very quickly: The room was full of journalists, all firing questions at them.

add insult to injury, to

To make harm worse by adding humiliation. The phrase has been traced to a Greek fable about a bald man. Trying to kill a fly on his head, he misses and hits himself very hard, and the fly replies, “You wanted to kill me for merely landing on you; what will you do to yourself now that you have added insult to injury?” It has since been applied to countless situations by as many writers, and has long been a cliché.