come home to roost
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Consequences of one's actions return to haunt them
Literally: chickens returning to their roost
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
Curses, like chickens, come home to roost.Ác giả ác báo.
Tatoeba sentence #35742 (CC BY 2.0 FR, tatoeba.org, retrieved 2026-07-31)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Equivalents & related
Common questions
What does “come home to roost” mean?
Consequences of one's actions return to haunt them Literally: chickens returning to their roost
Is “come home to roost” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.
What is the closest equivalent?
“ngậm máu phun người, trước dơ miệng mình” (Tiếng Việt) — near equivalent.