Like it or lump it

Origin of: Like it or lump it

Like it or lump it

Like it or lump it means much the same thing as take it or leave it, and dates from the late 18th/early 19th century. There is still some debate as to whether the origin is American or British since it is first cited on both sides of the Atlantic at around the same time. Use of the word lump in this particular sense is now largely obsolete, except in this one expression, and meant to sulk or to look sullen and disagreeable and dates from the 16th century.