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REFERENCE

pull someone's plumes

idiom
Meaning

To humble, to puncture the pride of


Examples
SIMPLE

His arrogant attitude made me want to pull his plumes.

CONTEXTUAL

She felt too confident after her promotion, so her manager decided to pull her plumes during the meeting.

COMPLEX

The veteran professor enjoyed pulling the plumes of the boastful student who claimed to know more than the experts.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    adorn oneself with borrowed plumes

    To claim the honor of another for oneself.

  2. 02

    another nail in someone's coffin

    An event that increases the likelihood of or causes further failure.

  3. 03

    answer someone's prayers

    To be or do exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.

  4. 04

    answer to someone's prayers

    Exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.

  5. 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.

  6. 06

    bane of someone's existence

    Someone or something that poses a significant problem to someone.

  7. 07

    bash someone's face in

    To beat someone violently.

  8. 08

    bash someone's head

    To beat up someone violently.

Last updated July 12, 2026