The champion lost in the first round — how the mighty have fallen.
how the mighty have fallen
idiomA remark on the dramatic downfall of someone once powerful or admired.
Origin
The words are from David's lament in 2 Samuel 1, at verses 19 and 25, mourning King Saul and his son Jonathan after they fall in battle: how are the mighty fallen. The line is a genuine cry of grief for great men brought low, spoken by someone who loved them.
Torn from that setting, the phrase has taken on a cooler and sometimes sardonic tone, well suited to marking any spectacular collapse of the once-formidable.
In English how the mighty have fallen is now said as often with a hint of satisfaction as with sorrow, noting the humbling of the powerful, the celebrated, or simply anyone who had grown a little too pleased with themselves.
Once the biggest firm in the city, it was now selling off its offices; how the mighty have fallen.
The executive who had once kept ministers waiting was reduced to answering questions from a committee that plainly no longer feared him, and more than one reporter in the gallery was thinking how the mighty have fallen.
The rise and fall of kings and the warnings of the prophets.
- 01
David and Goliath (idiom)
A contest in which a much weaker underdog faces a far stronger opponent.
- 02
the writing on the wall (idiom)
A clear sign that something, especially failure or disaster, is on its way.
- 03
feet of clay (idiom)
In someone apparently strong and without failings, a hidden weakness which could lead to downfall.
- 04
a drop in the bucket (idiom)
A quantity so small it is negligible next to what is actually needed.
- 05
a leopard cannot change its spots (idiom)
People rarely change their fundamental nature, however much they may seem to.
- 06
a still small voice (idiom)
A quiet inner prompting of conscience or intuition.