132 Cut someone down to size
(PW) prove someone is not as good as he or she thinks
John thought he was the smartest student in the class. We needed to cut him down to size.
(free)
to criticize someone who you think is too confident in order to make them feel less confident or less proud
When he started he thought he knew everything, but we soon cut him down to size.
to make someone or something less important or detailed
When he started the job he thought he knew everything, but we soon cut him down to size.
Sometimes we have to cut our grand dreams down to size.
(dictionary)
to show someone that they are not as clever or important as they think they are
Someone should cut that man down to size!
(your) Reduce the self-importance of, humble, as in
He's so arrogant—I wish someone would cut him down to size, or She really got knocked down to size when her class ranking slipped. [Early 1900s]
(about)
put someone in their place; criticize someone and make them realize that they are not as important as they think
Explanation: Used when telling someone that they think they are more important than they really are.
Examples: He cut me down to size! - We're just going to have to cut Janet down to size if we want to get any work done on this project.
