just deserts

English

Pronunciation

Noun

just deserts pl (plural only)

  1. (idiomatic) A punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved.
    It may appear that they're getting ahead by cheating, but they'll get their just deserts in the end.

Usage notes

  • Deserts here is the plural of desert, meaning “that which one deserves”. Desert is now rarely used outside this phrase, where it is a fossil word, except as a technical term in philosophy.
  • The spelling just desserts is non-standard. It is sometimes used as a pun in, for example, restaurant names.

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