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pound of flesh

Something which is owed and which will be hurtful or difficult to provide; a debt owed to someone who is merciless and demanding.

Etymology:

  • From Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, in which Antonio literally owes a pound of his flesh to the moneylender Shylock.
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Submitted on September 01, 2009

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Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to pound of flesh

more than flesh can standdon't be penny wise and pound foolishpound outflesh outpound the pavementan ounce of prevention can be worth a p…become one fleshneither fish, flesh, nor good red herri…pound the pavementa pint’s a pound the world aroundpress the fleshthorn in the fleshneither fish, flesh, nor fowlpound out

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