one bad turn deserves another

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

Meaning · English

One act of malice should be paid back by another act of malice.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

hành động xấu nên được đáp lại bằng hành động xấu

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

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 “one bad turn deserves another” mean?

One act of malice should be paid back by another act of malice.

Is “one bad turn deserves another” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.