To pay the piper means to face the consequences of something you have done. This idiom is used when a person must finally deal with the results of their actions, especially after avoiding them for a while.
The expression may come from the old story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, a story where a town refused to pay a musician for his work taking the rats away. Because they did not pay him, the piper took revenge by leading the town's children away.
The expression may come from the old story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, a story where a town refused to pay a musician for his work taking the rats away. Because they did not pay him, the piper took revenge by leading the town's children away.
After ignoring his debts for months, he finally had to pay the piper.