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ask for it

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ask for it

slang To act in a way that warrants the punishment or other repercussions that follow. This is a set phrase. Did you draw on the wall? Oh, you're asking for it now! Mary is a very patient person, so if she dumped Phil, he must have asked for it.

See also: ask

ask for it

if you say that someone who gets hurt or punished was asking for it, you mean that they deserved what happened to them Picking a fight with those hooligans was really asking for it. Fired? Well, she asked for it, didn't she?

See also: ask