Choose the one nearest in meaning to the word(s) in bracket Some men will continue to cause offences until they are given [a taste of their own medicine]

Analyze the question

You are asked to find the option closest in meaning to the idiom "a taste of their own medicine."

Explain the concept

"To give someone a taste of their own medicine" means to treat a person the same bad way they have treated others. It is a form of retaliation or payback, so that they feel what their victims felt.

Show the solution

Substitute each option into the sentence: "Some men will continue to cause offences until they are __."

• A. placated means calmed or appeased. That is the opposite of being paid back, so it does not fit.
• B. revenged on means paid back for the wrong done. It is the closest to the idea of being treated the way they treat others. Strictly, the grammar is a bit awkward ("until they are revenged on"), but the meaning matches best.
• C. cured is a trap. It plays on the word "medicine," but the idiom has nothing to do with healing.
• D. recompensed for means compensated or rewarded for something. It points to making up for a loss, not to payback in kind.

Identify the answer

The idiom means retaliation, so the best match is B. revenged on.

Tip

In idiom questions, do not be fooled by literal words. "Medicine" tempts you toward "cured," but the idiom is about payback. Ask yourself: "What is the whole phrase doing in the sentence?" Related idioms: "tit for tat" and "an eye for an eye" carry the same idea.