Pay the Piper

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Also found in: Dictionary, Idioms.

Pay the Piper

1. To repay a debt.

2. To face a coming punishment, especially if one has made a serious mistake. One pays the piper by facing the wronged supervisor or client.
References in periodicals archive ?
Eamon Gilmore is in the middle of an absolute hurricaneHe who pays the piper calls the tune and the Troika is paying the piper
'Labour did make promises at the time of elections but they were on the basis that were on our own in government' MINISTER PAT RABBITTE DEFENDS HIS PARTY AFTER 2 YEARS OF COALITION
Whatever present value of money you believe you might save by paying legal costs to delay paying the piper are usually offset by the fact that other side's position gets better over time, and plaintiffs' counsel, who usually work on a contingent basis, now have more skin in the game and thus may push for more money in settlement or prefer to take their chances before a jury--your worst-case scenario," he says.
Attorney urges companies to settle weak cases
They can afford these duds because much of the rest of the world is paying the piper.
The True Cost of Low Prices
I can't even make my home larger without paying the piper.
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