"The chickens are coming home to roost" is a proverb meaning that a person's past mistakes, bad decisions, or wrongdoings have finally caught up with them, resulting in negative consequences. It signifies that actions, particularly negative ones, will eventually return to cause problems for the person who initiated them, similar to karma. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Key Aspects of the Idiom:
• Meaning: It refers to the inevitable return of negative consequences from previous actions.
• Origin: The phrase stems from the idea that chickens, like "curses," return to their home roost at night. It was popularized in 1810 by Robert Southey and has roots in older, similar expressions.
• Usage: It is often used to describe situations where a lack of responsibility or a bad decision leads to unavoidable trouble in the present.
• Context: While it generally implies receiving punishment for poor behavior, it can also simply mean that consequences have caught up with someone. [2, 4, 5, 6, 7]
Example: "After neglecting to pay his taxes for years, the IRS audit meant his chickens had finally come home to roost." [3, 6]
AI responses may include mistakes.
[5] https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-origin-and-meaning-of-the-phrase-the-chickens-come-home-to-roost
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