Cut down at the knees_其他_趣味英语-查字典英语网

Cut down at the knees

Reader question:

In this sentence – That is why arguments against professionals in the Olympics will always be cut down at the knees – what does "cut down at the knees" mean here?

My comments:

Imagine the operating room in a hospital in which someone is being amputated from the knee down.

Ouch!

Ok, you've got the idea. That's what it feels like to be cut down at the knees. And that's taking it literally, of course. Figuratively speaking, an argument or theory that is cut down at the knees is, yes, you guessed it, pretty weak. Here, it means the arguments that pros should be excluded from the Olympics won't be able to stand (the test of scrutiny), much in the same way a person cut down at the knees won't be able to stand properly (without the help of crutches, that is). In other words, those arguments don't make sense. They won't hold water. They are no good.

Let's see a few media examples of "cut down at the knees". In each example, I'll paraphrase (in brackets) – explaining the phrase in other words.

1. The Beverly Hills portfolio manager felt his world falling apart. After losing half of his net worth and most of his clients within four months last year, he couldn't sleep. Then he started having panic attacks; finally he was unable to drive on the freeway. "He felt cut down at the knees," says James Gottfurcht, the clinical psychologist who is treating him. A pared-back lifestyle and discussions about childhood feelings of inferiority have helped, Gottfurcht says. The antidepressant Paxil helps, too.