come up and bite
The phrase "come up and bite" is often used to describe unexpected negative consequences or behaviors.
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Definition
B2General
(idiomatic, informal)To experience an unexpected problem or negative consequence, often due to previous actions or negligence.
Example
- Ignoring the warning signs might come up and bite you later.
- His past mistakes finally came up and bit him.
B2Animal Behavior
(informal)When an animal, especially a cat, suddenly bites after showing affectionate behavior.
Example
- My cat was purring and then came up and bit me out of nowhere.
- Sometimes, cats come up and bite when they're overstimulated.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "come up and bite":
bite income upcome up tobite mebite backtake a bitebite offbite the big onebite the curbbite my asssneak uptake a bite out ofrun up onride up onbite the biscuitrear one's headmating bitebite downbob upjump uptoe bitercome at