pay the piper

Etymology
Sense 1 is from the English phrase ; sense 2 may allude to the pied piper.

Verb

 * 1)  To pay expenses for something, and thus be in a position to be in control.
 * 2)  To pay a monetary or other debt or experience unfavorable consequences, especially when the payment or consequences are inevitable or a result of something one has enjoyed.
 * 3) * 1831, April 16, Dandy Doricourt, letter to the editors, The New-York mirror, volume 8, issue number 41, page 325:
 * [T]he very constitution of society is based upon this volunteer system of paying the piper. Honest men pay the piper for rogues, and full purses for empty ones.
 * 1) * 1831, April 16, Dandy Doricourt, letter to the editors, The New-York mirror, volume 8, issue number 41, page 325:
 * [T]he very constitution of society is based upon this volunteer system of paying the piper. Honest men pay the piper for rogues, and full purses for empty ones.

Synonyms

 * pay the fiddler
 * pay the price, pay the penalty