Learn English – Looking for a word or phrase to describe the “scars” left behind from any form of “good time”

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Scars could be used metaphorically, and a good time could be anything anyone considers to be fun.

For example:

  • After a night out with friends you might have a hangover or a negative bank balance
  • After an off-road outride you might be have some physical scars from falling
  • After a good session at the gym you could be stiff or have a case of jelly legs
  • After staying up all night playing games you might feel fatigued the next day

Edit (I'm on my phone, and don't know styling off by heart)

So these scars are meant to have a positive side, definitely, like a sort of bade of honour, although it might have inflicted physical harm, to a personally preferred level of comfort.

Repercussion and such words probably describe the scar well enough, but I'm looking for something catch, almost like "battle scars," as someone mentioned.

Something like, no pain no gain. I like the Piper one. Something like the Piper's Price.

I was hoping for a word/phrase you can use, and everyone knows the feeling of the good time scars; the emotion of whatever good time, and the bad-but-tollerable scars that often results, but hopefully, without the negative reference to conflict, as battle scars.

Perhaps the Dictionary of Eternal Sorrow should be consulted. I don't know if I'm allowed to say that here.

Best Answer

A common idiomatic expression is to pay the piper. This is related to the expression He who pays the piper calls the tune, meaning that there is a price to one's enjoyment or diversion. Or, from Quora:

‘bearing the negative consequence of something that was enjoyable at the time’.

and

don't expect to get something for nothing.

So, for example

Upon waking the day after the party, I knew it was now time to pay the piper.

If you keep that up, you'll be paying the piper tomorrow.

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