take one's lumps (1928)

[Benjamin Zimmer]

My latest Word Routes column, inspired by President Obama's recent mea
culpa, is on the expression "take one's lumps":

http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wordroutes/1712/

OED and HDAS both have "take (one's) lumps" from 1949, with various earlier
versions using different verbs ("hand over" 1930, "give" 1934, "receive"
1934, "get" 1935). In the column I cite a number of antedatings, starting
with a lyrical example of "take your lumps and bruises":

1928 _Atlanta Constitution_ 21 Oct. 2B/4  So now while Youth is calling / It
will not pay to whine, / But take your lumps and bruises / For the sake of
Auld Lang Syne.

--Ben Zimmer

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