Add insult to injury

Definition

To make a bad situation worse by saying or doing something additional that is hurtful or offensive.

Etymology

This phrase comes from one of Aesop's fables about a bald man who swats at a fly that bit his head, only to slap himself. The fly mocks him for adding the pain of his own slap to the injury of the bite. The phrase entered English in the 18th century and became a standard expression.

Kelly Says

What's brilliant about Aesop's original fable is that it shows someone literally adding insult (the fly's mockery) to injury (the bite and self-inflicted slap). The phrase has stayed so close to its source that we're essentially retelling a 2,500-year-old story every time we use it. Few idioms have such a clear and intact narrative origin.

Translations

ARالعربية
إضافة العار إلى الجروح
idhafat al-aar ila al-juruh
CSČeština
sypat sůl do rány
see-paht soolt doh rah-nee
DADansk
tilføje salt til såret
teel-foy sahl-t til soh-reht
DEDeutsch
Salz in die Wunde streuen
zalts in dee voon-deh shtroo-en
ELΕλληνικά
προσθέτω αλάτι στη πληγή
proh-stheh-toh ah-lah-tee stee pleh-gee
ESEspañol
echar sal en la herida
eh-chahr sahl ehn lah eh-ree-dah
FISuomi
lisätä suolaa haavaan
lee-seh-tah soo-oh-lah hah-vah-an
FRFrançais
ajouter l'insulte à la blessure
ah-joo-tay lehn-soolt ah lah bleh-soor
HEעברית
להוסיף מלח לפצע
leh-hoh-seef meh-lahch leh-feh-tsah
HIहिन्दी
चोट पर नमक छिड़कना
choht par namak chhidakna
HUMagyar
sóval kenni a sebet
shoh-vahl keh-nee seh-beht
IDBahasa Indonesia
menambah luka dengan luka
meh-nahm-bah loo-kah deh-ngan loo-kah
ITItaliano
aggiungere l'insulto alla ferita
ah-joon-gay leh ehn-sool-toh ah-lah feh-ree-tah
NLNederlands
zout in de wonde strooien
zohlt in deh vohn-deh stroh-ee-en
NONorsk
legge salt i såret
leh-geh sahl-t in soh-reht
PLPolski
dodawać obelgę do urazy
doh-dah-vahch oh-behl-gah doh oo-rah-zee
PTPortuguês
acrescentar a ofensa à injúria
ah-kreh-sen-tahr ah oh-feh-nsah ah ehn-joo-ree-ah
RORomână
a adăuga insultă la rănire
ah ah-deh-oo-gah ehn-soolt lah rah-nee-reh
RUРусский
посыпать соль на рану
pah-seep-aht sohl na rah-noo
SVSvenska
såra salt i såren
soh-rah sahl-t in soh-ren
THไทย
ใส่เกลือลงในบาดแผล
sai gleua long nai baad pheal
TRTürkçe
yara tuz eklemek
yah-rah tooz ek-mek
UKУкраїнська
додати образу до рани
doh-dah-tee oh-brah-zoo doh rah-nee
VITiếng Việt
thêm muối vào vết thương
them muoi vao vet thuong

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