rod for one's back

alternative rod for one's own back · alternative rod for one's own breech

1. idiomaticThe means of one's own punishment or downfall.

   "Silcote, you are making a rod for your back in your treatment of that child. She'll live to break your heart for you."

   1866 Sept, Henry Kingsley, “Silcote of Silcotes”, in MacMillan's Magazine, volume 14, page 324

   2 more examples

   Nobody is more wary of Tony Blair's record ratings and the illusion of the Prime Minister's omnipotence than Tony Blair himself. "He thinks his approval ratings are a rod for his back," says one adviser.

   1997 October 4, John Williams, “Blair Maps Out Party's Long March”, in The Mirror, UK

   I can't get over how you parents let your children run riot over you. There must be some discipline in this surely, otherwise you will make a rod for your back when they get older.

   2009 February 2, Dita De Boni, “Keeping Mum: Sparing the Rod?”, in New Zealand Herald