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

They can afford these duds because much of the rest of the world is paying the piper. Writes Gallagher: "When you purchase a toy at Wal-Mart, do you ever imagine teenage women in China working from 7:30 a.m.

The True Cost of Low Prices

In that respect, the exchangor has delayed "paying the piper" until the sale of the second property.

New trends now emerging in popular like-kind exchanges

Unfortunately, food companies that are hoping to build sales by removing trans fats from their products are going to be paying the piper for all the disappointments consumers have had with low-carb offerings.

Trans-fats and low carbs

It is sad to read such a biased article, such as "Paying the Piper" (January 2004).

Investors know better

In the end Paying the Piper may have tried to do too much with too little evidence, but it is unquestionably a genuine contribution to the study of life in an English county and should be of interest to all scholars of the early modern period.