what does "take one's lumps"mean? He didn’t like being played. He’d stand behind or in front of a cli-ent, as need be, but not when the client screwed with him. Not when a client used him—without his knowledge or consent—to break into a house. And sure as hell not when the client roughs up a woman. He’d have taken a tour inside Bluff House himself if the client had directed him, and he’d have taken his lumps if he’d been caught at it. But he wouldn’t have laid hands on a woman.