kick someone when they are down
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English[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Audio (AU) (file)
Verb[edit]
kick someone when they are down (third-person singular simple present kicks someone when they are down, present participle kicking someone when they are down, simple past and past participle kicked someone when they were down)
- (idiomatic) To make things worse for someone who is going through a difficult time.
- 2000, Richard Carlson, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff for Teens: Simple Ways to Keep Your Cool in Stressful Times, page 114:
- They would never kick someone when they are down or give themselves an unfair advantage by cheating or stealing. The implications of this type of behavior are huge.
Synonyms[edit]
- kick a dog when it's down
- strike someone when they are down, hit someone when they are down
- See also Thesaurus:make matters worse
Translations[edit]
make things worse for someone
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