Phrase meaning – what does the expression A pox on you for your loathsome chiding mean?

Introduction / Context:
This question tests understanding of an old fashioned English expression that might appear in literature, especially in plays and historical texts. The phrase A pox on you for your loathsome chiding sounds dramatic and uses words that are not common in everyday speech. You are asked to identify what attitude or intention the speaker is expressing in modern simple English.

Given Data / Assumptions:

The word pox refers historically to a serious disease and is often used in curses in older English.

Loathsome means extremely unpleasant or disgusting.

Chiding means scolding or rebuking someone verbally.

The whole phrase is being used emotionally, so we are looking for a strong reaction, not a polite request.

Concept / Approach:
In many older works, speakers use disease names as curses, wishing harm on someone in anger. A pox on you is one such curse. Combined with for your loathsome chiding, the speaker is clearly reacting to harsh or hateful scolding. The modern paraphrase that best captures this idea is Curse you for your hateful scolding, which expresses both the curse (A pox on you) and the reason (loathsome chiding). Other options either change the meaning or do not include the sense of a curse.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Interpret pox as a serious disease like smallpox, historically used in curses such as A pox on both your houses in classic literature. Step 2: Recognise that A pox on you is not a medical statement but a strong curse wishing misfortune or illness on the other person. Step 3: Understand loathsome as a very strong negative word meaning extremely unpleasant or disgusting. Step 4: Understand chiding as scolding, blaming, or speaking angrily to someone. Step 5: Combine these ideas to get Curse you because of your hateful scolding as the overall sense of the sentence.

Verification / Alternative check:
To double check, imagine the context of a quarrel where one character has been scolding another very harshly. A modern speaker might say Stop yelling at me, I curse you for talking to me like that. The old style version A pox on you for your loathsome chiding communicates the same emotional reaction. Option C matches both the curse element and the reason, while option A focuses only on disease and behavior without the clear curse verb. Option B introduces the idea of physical violence and hiding, which are not present in the original phrase, and option D is the opposite of a curse because it wishes recovery, not harm.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A May you be diseased for your disgusting behavior captures the idea of illness but does so in a way that sounds like a literal medical wish rather than a compact curse; it also neglects the nuance of scolding contained in chiding.
Option B I want to hit you because you have been hiding introduces hitting and hiding, which do not appear in the phrase at all.
Option D I hope you recover from your illness soon is completely opposite in intention, since the original phrase is an angry curse rather than a kind wish.
Option E None of these meanings is correct is wrong because option C aligns very closely with the actual sense of the expression.

Common Pitfalls:
A common difficulty with phrases from older English is that learners may focus on individual words like pox and guess only part of the meaning. To avoid this, always consider the whole expression and the emotional tone. When you see disease names used as exclamations in dramatic contexts, they usually function as curses rather than literal diagnoses. Recognising this pattern will help you interpret many similar expressions in classic literature.

Final Answer:
The phrase A pox on you for your loathsome chiding most nearly means Curse you for your hateful scolding.