take one's medicine

Verb

take one's medicine (third-person singular simple present takes one's medicine, present participle taking one's medicine, simple past took one's medicine, past participle taken one's medicine)

1. (idiomatic, informal) To endure an unpleasant obligation, especially a punishment.
   • Your resistance to our class won't do you any good . If you'll come out and take your medicine like men, all right; but if you resist it will go that much harder with you.1910, Arthur M. Winfield, The Rover Boys at College
   • if the police pick up "a real fine boy" —which most of them are — who has been fooling around, the boy's father can add a building block to Junior's personality by saying, "My boy, you know better. Now take your medicine like a man and we'll just call it one of life's lessons.”1962, W. Cleon Skousen, So You Want to Raise a Boy?, page 203
2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see take, medicine.