peg (redirected from taking down a peg or two)

peg someone as something and have someone pegged as something

to think of someone in a certain way. Susan pegged the new employee as a lazy worker. I had you pegged as an angry rebel before I got to know you.

peg something down

to fasten something to the ground with pegs. After he had finished pegging the tent down, he built a fire. He pegged down the tent before building a fire.

peg out

Sl. to die. I was so scared, I thought I would peg out for sure. Uncle Herman almost pegged out last week.

See also: out

plug away (at something) and peg away (at something)

to keep trying something; to keep working at something. John kept pegging away at the trumpet until he became pretty good at it. I'm not very good at it, but I keep plugging away.

See also: away, plug

square peg in a round hole

Fig. someone who is uncomfortable or who does not belong in a particular situation. (Also the cliché: trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, trying to combine two things that do not belong or fit together.) I feel like a square peg in a round hole at my office. Everyone else there seems so ambitious, competitive, and dedicated to the work, but I just want to make a living. Trying to teach me math is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. I'm convinced my brain is not built right to understand algebra.

See also: hole, round, square

take someone down a peg (or two) and take someone down a notch (or two); knock someone down a peg (or two); knock someone down a notch (or two)

Fig. to reprimand someone who is acting too arrogant. The teacher's scolding took Bob down a notch or two. He was so rude that someone was bound to knock him down a peg or two.

See also: take

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a square peg (in a round hole)

someone whose character makes them completely wrong for the type of work they are doing or for the situation they are in I never did understand what Paddy was doing in accounts - he was a square peg in a round hole.

See also: square

be level pegging  (British & Australian)

if two people or groups who are competing in a race or election are level pegging, they are equal and it is not certain who will win With three weeks to go to the election, Labour and the Alliance are still level pegging.

See also: level

bring somebody down a peg or two

to do something to show someone that they are not as good as they thought they were He's one of these super-confident types who really needs to be brought down a peg or two.

See also: bring, two

have somebody pegged  (mainly American)

to know exactly what kind of person someone is He thinks we're all taken in by his charm, but I've got him pegged.

See also: have

off the peg  (British) also off the hook (American & Australian)

if you buy clothes off the peg, you buy them in a standard size from a shop rather than having them made specially for you If I buy trousers off the peg, they're always too short.

See have down to a fine art, off hands, be out of head

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a square peg (in a round hole)

someone who is different from most people of the same age and situation In high school she was defininitely a square peg, but even if they didn't understand her, most kids admired her.

See also: square

bring somebody/something down a peg (or two) also take somebody down a peg (or two)

to show that someone or something is not as good as people think His arrogant behavior made some people want to see him brought down a peg. She uses her position to take other people down a peg or two.

See also: bring

plug away (at something)

to keep working in a determined way He's experienced plenty of hard times, but Ed is still plugging away, playing several nights a week at a local jazz club. The powerful computer was plugging away at the problem for weeks.

See also: away, plug