add insult to injury

Idioms  

1. Hurt a person's feelings after doing him or her harm; also, make a bad situation worse. For example, Not only did the club refuse him, but it published a list of the rejected applicants—that's adding insult to injury, or The nearest parking space was half a mile away, and then, to add insult to injury, it began to pour: The phrase is an ancient one, even older than its often cited use in the Roman writer Phaedrus's fable of the bald man and the fly. A fly bit the head of a bald man, who, trying to crush it, gave himself a heavy blow. The fly then jeered, “You want to avenge an insect's sting with death; what will you do to yourself, who have added insult to injury?” In English it was first recorded in 1748.

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Example Sentences

And as they mourn the loss of their neighborhoods, regulations that could further quash the possibility of ever regaining that sense of community have only added insult to injury.

From Los Angeles Times

"The delays in bringing perpetrators to court really does add insult to injury," said Andrew Goodacre, chief executive of the British Independent Retailers Association.

From BBC

To add insult to injury, here’s the most camp performance to hit the silver screen in a minute.

From Salon

Brandon Marsh added insult to injury with a sacrifice fly in the next at-bat.

From Los Angeles Times

To add insult to injury for the vulnerable visitors, Guehi even had an assist in the build-up to Nketiah's winner when a long throw-in caused defensive jitters - just like a corner did for Palace's first.

From BBC