"Rubbing It In" Idiom Meaning, Origin & History | Superduper English Idioms
Channel: Superduper English Idioms
Date: 2020-09-08

0:00 - How to Say, “Rubbing it in.”
0:19 - Examples of “Rubbing it in.”
1:13 - Meaning of “Rubbing it in.”
1:31 - Origin of “Rubbing it in.”
3:40 - More Examples of “Rubbing it in.”
4:24 - Conclusion

“Rubbing it in.”

You’ve probably heard someone say that another was “rubbing it in,” or accentuating, emphasizing their correctness, win or accomplishment.

“Okay, stop rubbing it in! You were right, I shouldn’t have put all my eggs in one basket,” you might say to your friend after your one stock holding dropped by half.

Maybe your partner admits you were right about something and comes to apologize. “I knew you should’ve listened to me; but don’t worry, I won’t rub it in,” you say.

“I don’t mean to rub it in, but it’s T-shirt weather here in Mexico City! Enjoying the snow?” you might be talking to your cousin via video chat, a few months after she moved for work.

Clearly, “rubbing it in,” means that you are drawing someone’s attention to an unpleasant fact, gloating that you were right, showing off, or ridiculing someone for a mistake.

“Rubbing it in,” or, “rub it in,” is a shortened form of “rub salt in the wound”, which as you can imagine, would make a wound, cut, or abrasion sting a lot more than it already is.

Historically, among other passé medical techniques, pouring salt in a wound was believed to help it heal. We now know to keep a wound clean, however!

In addition to “rubbing it in,” or “rub it in,” you might also hear; “rub your nose in it,” or, “add insult to injury.”

If you were right and someone was wrong, there’s a tendency to “rub it in”, because you may feel a sense of pride that you were correct, more knowledgeable or more insightful.

“Rubbing it in” is totally fine if you’re just joking and the other person knows it, or perhaps the other person is a rival or enemy that you care little about…

… but please don’t “rub it in” if that person is your child or is a sensitive person - especially if they have learnt their lesson or acknowledged their mistake.

Neither you nor I enjoy the feeling of having made a mistake and nobody appreciates it when others make us feel worse by “rubbing it in.”

On the other hand, if it’s simply a situation in which you have an advantage through no effort of your own, it can be humorous to “rub it in.”

“Okay, okay, summers off would be nice. Stop rubbing it in!” your friend who once laughed at you for choosing teaching as a profession might jokingly say.

Perhaps you’re arguing with your partner, “You were right, we should’ve been more frugal! But how does rubbing it in help us now?!”

“You may feel like rubbing it in when you win a game, but good sportsmanship is to be humble no matter the outcome,” your coach might say.

So, the next time someone feels the need to boast about their win, gloat about being correct, do a victory dance, or make another feel bad for losing or being wrong, don’t forget to say, “Stop rubbing it in!”

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