get one's ass handed to one

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

To suffer an extraordinarily devastating defeat.

Register: slang, vulgar

Where it’s used: Used American English
Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “get one's ass handed to one” mean?

To suffer an extraordinarily devastating defeat.

Is “get one's ass handed to one” formal or informal?

get one's ass handed to one is generally slang, vulgar.