take down a notch
English
editVerb
edittake down a notch (third-person singular simple present takes down a notch, present participle taking down a notch, simple past took down a notch, past participle taken down a notch)
- (transitive, idiomatic, of a person or organization) To cause a person's or group's self-esteem or importance to be decreased.
- 2008 January 10, Mark Halperin, “The Republican Candisates: John McCain”, in Time[1], retrieved February 8, 2021:
- Confident and near-cocky for the second straight debate […] [McCain] easily deflected Romney and Giuliani attempts to take him down a notch.
- 2019 November 13, Adam Whites, “Banal, unfunny and not as dangerous as he thinks: It's time we stopped glorifying Ricky Gervais at the Golden Globes”, in Independent[2], retrieved February 8, 2021:
- Yet it is Gervais who has always been considered […] a quasi-"man of the people" who dares to take the elites down a notch.
- 2013 March 26, The Motley Fool, “Will Dollar General Make Investors 'Fistfuls of Dollars'?”, in Seattle Post-Intelligencer[3], retrieved February 8, 2021:
- Even discount superstore Wal-Mart, once considered a recession-proof business, was taken down a notch after it reported lackluster earnings last month.
- (transitive, idiomatic, of a thing) To cause the quantity, degree, or intensity of something to be decreased.
- 2008 October 14, Michelle Higgins, “Europe Returning to Land of In-Reach”, in New York Times[4], retrieved February 8, 2021:
- [M]any travel companies are holding prices steady or taking them down a notch.
- 2015 May 21, Jason Samenow, “Record-challenging heat likely in D.C. in May’s final week”, in Washington Post[5], retrieved February 8, 2021:
- [A]n increase in clouds (and a slight weakening of the heat dome overhead) may take temperatures down a notch.
- 2017 June 25, Eva Wiseman, “Public, New York: the five-star hotel for half the price”, in Guardian[6], retrieved February 8, 2021:
- Veteran hotelier Ian Schrager’s new venture in Manhattan takes luxury down a notch.
Synonyms
editTranslations
editTo cause self-esteem to decrease
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