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You may think one who was punished got their 'just desserts' based on how it sounds, but the correct spelling and has only one 's' as in 'just deserts.' Despite its pronunciation, just deserts, with one s, is the proper spelling for the phrase meaning 'the punishment that one deserves.'
- Just Deserts
The meaning of JUST DESERTS is the punishment that one...
- Just Deserts
Learn the meaning and origin of the phrase just deserts, which means the punishment that one deserves. See how to use it in sentences and avoid confusing it with dessert or desert.
Jul 18, 2019 · Learn the difference between just deserts (deserved reward or punishment) and just desserts (cake, pie, etc.). See the origin, pronunciation, and examples of both phrases.
Getting your just deserts refers to receiving an appropriate punishment for whatever offense you have committed. As these examples show, just deserts is almost exclusively used to refer to punishment rather than reward:
What's the meaning of the phrase 'Just deserts'? That which is deserved. A reward for what has been done – good or bad. What's the origin of the phrase 'Just deserts'? Deserts, in the sense of ‘things deserved’ has been used in English since at least the 13th century.
Just deserts means punishment or reward that is deserved, not desserts. Learn the history, usage, and possible confusion of this idiom with similar expressions and alternative spellings.
just deserts. That which one deserves, especially a punishment or unfavorable outcome. Usually used in the phrase "get/receive one's just deserts." (Note: The phrase is often misspelled as "just desserts," due to the pronunciation of "deserts" and "desserts" being the same in this context.)
