take (something) lying down
(redirected from one has taken it laying down)take (something) lying down
To accept or endure something without struggle, resistance, or opposition. (Often used in negative constructions.) You'll never be respected around here if you keep taking these taunts lying down. I will not take this lying down! You can expect to hear from my attorney.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
take something lying down
Fig. to endure something unpleasant without fighting back. He insulted me publicly. You don't expect me to take that lying down, do you? I'm not the kind of person who'll take something like that lying down.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
take lying down
Submit to an insult, rebuke, or other harsh treatment without resisting, as in He won't take that snub lying down. This idiom uses lying down in the sense of "passively." [Late 1800s] Also see take it, def. 2.
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.
take something lying down
accept an insult or injury without attempting retaliation. 1989 Shimmer Chinodya Harvest of Thorns She's boasting in front of me, laughing at me for being weak. Today she'll know I'm not going to take it lying down any longer.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
(not) take something lying ˈdown
(informal) accept an insult or offensive act without protesting or reacting: I’m not going to take this stupid decision lying down. If necessary, I’ll take the company to court. ♢ She’s the kind of person who won’t take defeat lying down. OPPOSITE: put up a (good) fightFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
take lying down
Informal To submit to harsh treatment with no resistance: refused to take the snub lying down.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
take it lying down, to
To submit to insult or oppression without resistance. 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.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer