knock (one) off (one's) pedestal

1. To cause one to lose a leading or prominent position. At the end of the day, I think voters just wanted to knock the prime minister off his pedestal.

2. To reduce or damage one's ego or pride; to humble or humiliate one. I'm really glad that pompous oaf lost his court case—maybe that will knock him off his pedestal. It's about time someone knocked Sarah off her pedestal. Her snotty, rich-kid arrogance is intolerable!

knock (one) off (one's) perch

To cause one to fall from a leading or prominent position. At the end of the day, I think voters just wanted to knock the prime minister off his perch.

on a pedestal

In a position of being revered, honored, or thought of as perfect, especially due to blind devotion. I know it's easy to be smitten with a romantic partner, but I don't think it's healthy for one person in a relationship to put the other up on a pedestal like that. I think you put a lot of these old movies up on a pedestal out of nostalgia more than anything else.

place (someone or something) (up) on a pedestal

To believe or behave as if someone or something is perfect, wonderful, or better than others, to the extent that one is unable to see the potential flaws or faults of that person or thing. You know how Tiffany places him up on a pedestal—it's useless trying to get her to see that he's a jerk. Stephen has been placing classic literature on a pedestal ever since college, so he gets really judgmental of other genres he deems to be inferior.

put (someone or something) (up) on a pedestal

To believe or behave as if someone or something is perfect, wonderful, or better than others, to the extent that one is unable to see its potential flaws or faults. I know it's easy to be smitten with a romantic partner, but it isn't healthy to put someone up on a pedestal. Stephen has been putting classic literature on a pedestal ever since college, so he gets really judgmental of other genres he deems to be inferior.

set (someone or something) (up) on a pedestal

To believe or behave as if someone or something is perfect, wonderful, or better than others, to the extent that one is unable to see the potential flaws or faults of that person or thing. I know it's easy to be smitten with a romantic partner, but I don't think it's healthy for one to set the other up on a pedestal. Stephen has been setting classic literature on a pedestal ever since college, so he gets really judgmental of other genres he deems to be inferior.

*on a pedestal

Fig. elevated to a position of honor or reverence. (Alludes to honoring someone on display on a pedestal like a statue. *Typically: place someone ~; put someone ~.) He puts his wife on a pedestal. She can do no wrong in his opinion. I was just doing my job. There is no point in placing me on a pedestal!

on a pedestal, put

Also, set on a pedestal. Greatly admire, magnify in importance, as in Youngsters tend to put rock stars on a pedestal, forgetting that they're human. This expression alludes to the raised position of a statue on a pedestal. [Mid-1800s]

knock someone off their pedestal

knock someone from their pedestal

If someone or something knocks you off your pedestal or knocks you from your pedestal, they show people that you are not perfect or as good as they thought. Note: A pedestal is a base on which something such as a statue stands. He has been knocked off his pedestal by revelations about his private life. The tabloids have been trying for several years now to knock Jackson from his pedestal. Note: Other verbs such as push, take, and force can be used instead of knock. Many film stars of that generation were forced off their pedestal by the arrival of sound. Note: This expression is very variable. For example, you can say that someone falls off their pedestal if they do something that shows people that they are not perfect or that they should come down from their pedestal if you think that they should stop behaving as though they think they are perfect. If you are the best student one year, there is a danger of falling off your pedestal the next year. My advice to Paula is to come down from her pedestal and get in touch with reality.

put someone on a pedestal

COMMON If someone puts you on a pedestal, they believe that you are perfect. Note: A pedestal is a base on which something such as a statue stands. I put my own parents on a pedestal. I felt they could do no wrong. Note: Other verbs such as place or set can be used instead of put. He had set her on a pedestal. Note: You can say that someone is on a pedestal or sits on a pedestal when people think of them in this way. The Emperor is still safely on a pedestal.

put someone on a pedestal

admire someone greatly but uncritically.

knock somebody off their ˈperch/ˈpedestal

show that somebody does not deserve to be admired so much: These revelations will really knock him off his pedestal.

See also: knock, off, pedestal, perch, somebody

put/set/place somebody on a ˈpedestal

admire somebody so much that you are unable to see their faults: Don’t try to put her on a pedestal, she’s as guilty as the rest of them! OPPOSITE: look down your nose (at somebody/something)

A pedestal is the base that a statue rests on.

See also: on, pedestal, place, put, set, somebody

set on a pedestal, to

To idealize; to glorify. This term alludes to the custom of worshiping the figures of saints and other notable individuals, which are literally placed on pedestals. It was used more generally from the mid-nineteenth century on. James Joyce had it in Ulysses (1922), “They discovered . . . that their idol had feet of clay, after putting him upon a pedestal.” See also feet of clay.