took on the chin

Verb

take on the chin (third-person singular simple present takes on the chin, present participle taking on the chin, simple past took on the chin, past participle taken on the chin)

1. (UK, idiomatic, transitive) To accept without flinching or complaining.
   • Elsewhere in Sweden recently, two underage girls pressed charges when a teenage boy exposed himself to them at a lake. The court decided, despite the victims' testimonies, that the offence was "not of a sexual nature" and dismissed it. But I'm guessing the girls didn't push for molestation charges...2013 September 20, Holly Baxter, “Is masturbating in public a laughing matter?”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 17 Jul 2023, retrieved 06 Jan 2014
2. (US, idiomatic, transitive) To be deeply impacted by something.
   • The situation seems to be designed so the taxpayers take it on the chin no matter what. District residents who vote down a budget believing they are voting against any tax raise still receive higher tax bills.2005 May 20, Robert David Kostoff, My Line Story, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 136