from the sublime to the ridiculous
From something exceptional or beautiful to something silly, foolish, or absurd. I was disappointed by the ending to that play—it unfortunately took things from the sublime to the ridiculous. When you have a touching moment with your preschoolers in the morning and then one of them puts glue in your hair in the afternoon, it definitely takes things from the sublime to the ridiculous. Nothing could take this day from the sublime to the ridiculous. I mean, I just met one of my heroes—what could be better?
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
from the sublime to the ridiculous
Fig. from something fine and uplifting to something ridiculous or mundane. After Mr. Jones had introduced my wife to his wife, he jokingly turned to introduce me and said, "From the sublime to the ridiculous." After the opera singer finished, the master of ceremonies introduced the comic juggler saying, "From the sublime to the ridiculous...."
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
from the sublime to the ridiculous
From the beautiful to the silly, from great to puny. For example, They played first Bach and then an ad jingle-from the sublime to the ridiculous. The reverse, from the ridiculous to the sublime, is used with the opposite meaning. Coined by Tom Paine in The Age of Reason (1794), in which he said the two are so closely related that it is but one step from one to the other, the phrase has been often repeated in either order.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
from the subˌlime to the riˈdiculous
used to describe a situation in which something serious, important or of high quality is followed by something silly, unimportant or of poor quality: His works as an artist range from the sublime to the ridiculous, with very little in between. From the sublime to the ridiculous is only one step is a translation of a phrase that was first said by Napoleon Bonaparte.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
from the sublime to the ridiculous
From outstanding to measly, famous to infamous, wonderful to silly. This expression appears to have been coined in America by Thomas Paine in his The Age of Reason (1794). The full quotation is, “The sublime and the ridiculous are often so nearly related that it is difficult to class them separately. One step above the sublime makes the ridiculous, and one step above the ridiculous makes the sublime again.” The expression was rephrased in French by the encyclopedist Jean-François Marmontel and then repeated by Napoleon, who used it to describe the retreat of his army from Moscow.
sublime to the ridiculous
See ridiculous to sublime.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer