From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishlick your woundslick your woundsDISAPPOINTEDto quietly think about the defeat or disappointment you have just suffered → lick
Examples from the Corpus
lick your wounds• The day after the election, many defeated conservatives were licking their wounds.• At least we were in good hands while we licked our wounds.• We thought the murderous hordes were beaten and whimpering out in the jungles, licking their wounds.• Real togetherness Einstein licked his wounds after his long drawn out battle with Bohr about the uncertainty principle.• Feeling hurt, and wanting to lick her wounds in private, another sort of pride came to Fabia then.• Sometimes they choose to lick their wounds in quiet or stay in a shut-down state, raging inward1y for years.• Eventually they would withdraw those investments, turn inward, lick their wounds, repair their factories, and bolster their stock.• The more time she had to lick her wounds, the better. 