pull someone's plumes
To humble, to puncture the pride of
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“His arrogant attitude made me want to pull his plumes.”
“She felt too confident after her promotion, so her manager decided to pull her plumes during the meeting.”
“The veteran professor enjoyed pulling the plumes of the boastful student who claimed to know more than the experts.”
- 01
adorn oneself with borrowed plumes
To claim the honor of another for oneself.
- 02
another nail in someone's coffin
An event that increases the likelihood of or causes further failure.
- 03
answer someone's prayers
To be or do exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.
- 04
answer to someone's prayers
Exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.
- 05
apple of someone's eye
The object of somebody's affections; a person (or sometimes a thing) that someone strongly prefers; a favorite, a loved one.
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bane of someone's existence
Someone or something that poses a significant problem to someone.
- 07
bash someone's face in
To beat someone violently.
- 08
bash someone's head
To beat up someone violently.
Last updated August 10, 2026