How do you use "Add insult to injury" in a sentence?

They fired her, and to add insult to injury, they did it by email. He broke my vase and then, adding insult to injury, blamed me. To add insult to injury, they charged me for the broken item.

Add insult to injury

Q: What does "Add insult to injury" mean?

To make a bad situation worse by adding offense When something bad happens and then something additionally offensive or hurtful follows. The injury is the original harm; the insult is the additional affront.

Slang Term BritishAmericanAustralian ★★★★★ Very Common Neutral

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Meaning: To make a bad situation worse by adding offense

雪上加霜，在糟糕的情况上又增加侮辱

Empeorar una situación mala añadiendo una ofensa

悪い状況をさらに侮辱を加えて悪化させる

나쁜 상황에 모욕까지 더하여 더 악화시키다

When something bad happens and then something additionally offensive or hurtful follows. The injury is the original harm; the insult is the additional affront.

当坏事发生后，又紧跟着一件更加冒犯或伤人的事情。'injury（伤害）'是原来的损害，'insult（侮辱）'是额外的侵犯。

Cuando ocurre algo malo y luego sigue algo adicionalmente ofensivo o hiriente. La 'injury' (daño) es el perjuicio original; el 'insult' (insulto) es la afrenta adicional.

悪いことが起きた後、さらに攻撃的または傷つけるようなことが続くこと。「injury（損害）」は元の被害で、「insult（侮辱）」はそれに加わる追加的な侮辱。

나쁜 일이 일어난 후에 추가로 모욕적이거나 상처가 되는 일이 뒤따르는 것. '상해(injury)'는 원래의 피해이고, '모욕(insult)'은 추가적인 모욕을 뜻한다.

Examples

They fired her, and to add insult to injury, they did it by email.
他们解雇了她，更过分的是，还用电子邮件通知的
La despidieron y, para más inri, lo hicieron por correo electrónico
彼女を解雇した上に、追い打ちをかけるようにメールで通知した
그녀를 해고한 것도 모자라, 설상가상으로 이메일로 통보했다.
He broke my vase and then, adding insult to injury, blamed me.
他打碎了我的花瓶，雪上加霜的是还怪我
Rompió mi jarrón y, para colmo, me echó la culpa
花瓶を壊した上に、さらに私のせいにした
내 꽃병을 깨놓고, 엎친 데 덮친 격으로 내 탓이라고 했다.
To add insult to injury, they charged me for the broken item.
更过分的是，他们还向我收了那个坏掉的东西的钱
Para colmo, me cobraron el artículo roto
追い打ちをかけるように、壊れた商品の代金を請求された
설상가상으로, 깨진 물건 값까지 청구했다.

Pronunciation

/æd ɪnˈsʌlt tə ˈɪndʒəri/

Usage Guide

Context: complaints, unfairness, aggravation

Tone: indignant, frustrated

✓ Do Say

To add insult to injury...
雪上加霜的是……
Para más inri...
追い打ちをかけるように…
설상가상으로...
Adding insult to injury
雪上加霜
Para colmo
泣きっ面に蜂
엎친 데 덮친 격으로

✗ Don't Say

Usually introduces the second bad thing
通常用来引出第二件坏事
Normalmente introduce la segunda cosa mala
通常、二つ目の悪い出来事を紹介する際に使う
보통 두 번째 나쁜 일을 소개할 때 사용

Common Mistakes

Saying 'injury to insult' (wrong order)

Origin & History

From a fable by Phaedrus (Roman, 1st century AD) about a bald man who, when trying to swat a fly that bit him, hits his own head—the fly adds insult by saying he tried to avenge a tiny bite with death.

Etymology: From Phaedrus's Roman fable

First recorded: 1st century AD, English usage 18th century

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient to present

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Pop culture: Very common phrase

Regional notes: Universal across English-speaking world.

Variations

Add insult to injuryAdding insult to injuryTo add insult to injury