Meaning of bring one's own hide to market | Babel Free

Definitions

To create one's own fate, as a result of one's chosen character and actions; to experience the appropriate consequences of one's behavior.

US, idiomatic, often

Examples

“"[T]hou art a living passenger upon this earth, and must look out for thyself. Help yourself! Nobody forwards thee to thy destination; and we Germans have a proverb that comes near it in meaning: 'Each one must carry his own hide to market.'"”

“In this grandfatherly letter about my paternal grandfather, whom I never knew, let me end by offering you, as part of your heritage, this saying ascribed to my other grandfather, John Hoyer, whom I knew well, who watched me grow from infancy and who lived in good health until he was over ninety. You carry your own hide to market.”

“Arnold said whoever was responsible for her sister's death eventually will face punishment. "I don't know why they did it to her," Arnold said. "But like I said, it's over with. But they've got to take their hide to market."”

“Avlon: Rudy Giuliani . . . made it really clear in sort of a fit of fatalism that he doesn't feel responsible for his legacy. And that's ultimately his choice. You take your own hide to market.”

CEFR level