paying the piper

Verb

pay the piper (third-person singular simple present pays the piper, present participle paying the piper, simple past and past participle paid the piper)

1. (idiomatic) To pay expenses for something, and thus be in a position to be in control.
   • Those that pay the piper must command the tune.1898 August 1, Swami Vivekananda, “To Swami Brahmananda”, in The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

   Synonyms:

   pay the fiddler

2. (idiomatic) To pay a monetary or other debt or experience unfavorable consequences, especially when the payment or consequences are inevitable or a result of something one has enjoyed.
   • [T]he very constitution of society is based upon this volunteer system of paying the piper. Honest men pay the piper for rogues, and full purses for empty ones.1831, April 16, Dandy Doricourt, letter to the editors, The New-York mirror, volume 8, issue number 41, page 325

   Synonyms:

   pay the price, pay the penalty