get the worst of it

Idioms and Phrases

Also, have the worst of it . Be defeated, experience a disadvantage, or suffer the most harm. For example, In any argument Joe usually gets the worst of it , or If we play the last three games as scheduled, our team is bound to have the worst of it , or The car got the worst of it, and no one was hurt . These phrases survive many older ones (such as go to the worst and come by the worst ) in which worst is used in the sense of “defeat,” a usage dating from about 1500. Also see get the better (best) of .

Example Sentences

But what parts of the country will get the worst of it?

From Seattle Times

The engineers and conductors that operate the trains routinely get the worst of it because railroads cannot predict exactly when trains, which run around the clock, will be ready to leave.

From Seattle Times

“Basically, when things go wrong, women of color, particularly Black women, get the worst of it,” said Capri Maddox, executive director of the city’s civil rights department, whose full name is the civil + human rights and equity department.

From Los Angeles Times

But while rich countries like the United States and Britain fret about slowing growth and rising prices, if stagflation makes its long-dreaded return, it will be poorer nations that get the worst of it.

From Washington Post

“They do the same, and as their tongues are the sharpest, you fellows get the worst of it, for you are as silly as they, every bit. If you behaved properly, they would, but knowing you like their nonsense, they keep it up, and then you blame them.”

From Literature