to kiss the rod
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To submit to punishment or misfortune meekly and without murmuring.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to kiss the rod” mean?
To submit to punishment or misfortune meekly and without murmuring.
Is “to kiss the rod” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.