To add insult to injury

Definitions

• making a bad situation even worse
  Used to describe a situation where an additional negative action or event is added on top of an already negative situation, compounding the harm or hurt caused.

• making a negative comment or action after one has already been made
  Used to describe a situation where someone adds further offense or hurtful remarks to an already hurtful statement or action.

Examples of To add insult to injury

• After losing his job and getting into a car accident, John's day took a turn for the worse when his car broke down on the way home. To add insult to injury, a heavy rainstorm started just as he pushed his car to the side of the road.

  The phrase "to add insult to injury" means to make a bad situation even worse. In this example, John's day has already been filled with misfortune, but the rainstorm makes it even more difficult and unpleasant for him.

• The team had already suffered a crushing defeat, but the opposing team rubbed salt in their wounds by taunting them during the game and celebrating excessively after winning.

  "Rubbing salt in a wound" is a phrase that means making a bad situation even more painful. In this example, the opposing team's actions were meant to make the losing team feel worse about their defeat.

• The author's book received mixed reviews, but some critics went out of their way to be overly critical and harsh in their assessments. This only served to make the author feel more discouraged and demoralized.

  "Pouring gasoline on the fire" is a phrase that means making a bad situation worse. In this example, the critics' harsh reviews only served to further dampen the author's spirits and make them feel more discouraged.

• After the team's star player was injured, their chances of winning the game seemed slim. But just to make matters worse, the team's backup player also got injured during the game, leaving them with no options on the court.

  "Twisting the knife" is a phrase that means making a bad situation even more painful. In this example, the team's misfortune continued to mount as they lost both of their key players, making it even more difficult for them to win the game.

• The team's coach had already been under pressure due to their poor performance, but the team's dismal showing in the championship game was the final straw. The team's owner then fired the coach, adding insult to injury.

  "Adding insult to injury" is a phrase that means making a bad situation even worse. In this example, the coach's dismissal came after the team's disastrous performance in the championship game, making it even more painful for the coach to be let go.

Conclusion

This idiom is commonly used to express the idea that an already difficult or unpleasant situation has become even more unbearable due to an additional negative action or comment. It can also be used to describe a situation where someone is already upset or offended, and then another hurtful remark is made, further worsening the situation. In both cases, the phrase emphasizes the idea of making something worse.

Origin of "To add insult to injury"

The origin of this idiom can be traced back to ancient Greece, where it was first used by the playwright Aeschylus in his play Agamemnon. In the play, the character Cassandra is cursed by the gods to always speak the truth, but never be believed. When she tries to warn the characters of the upcoming tragedies, they ignore her, adding insult to her injury of being cursed.

The phrase gained popularity in the English language in the 16th century and has been used in various literary works since then. It is believed that the idiom was also influenced by the Latin phrase "additamentum ad dolorem" which means "an addition to pain". Over time, it has become a common figure of speech used to describe a situation where something bad becomes even worse.