英语阅读：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.
- Having it all – But Needing a grip, Forbes Magazine, October 8, 2001.
(Well, no paraphrasing necessary here, apparently, other than pointing out
that the clinical psychologist certainly knows his trade – the trade of a
sawbones as they used to call doctors in general – and he certainly cut it to
the bones on this one when he likened the plight of a businessman losing his
fortune to feelings of being "cut down at the knees".)
2. In a bid to spur economic development in its downtown area, the city of
Springfield, Mo., has set up a free Wi-Fi network using four BelAir 200
multiswitch service routers.…
Service providers in many U.S. cities are concerned that the addition of
new, free hot spots and hot zones, underwritten and pushed by municipalities,
could undercut their broadband services revenues.
"We were expecting to becut down at the knees (slaughtered, destroyed,
heavily defeated) by opponents, but were not," Brewer said in a telephone
interview, noting that he and others in the city put together a "very careful"
campaign to make sure the service was not a direct threat to services offered by
SBC or other providers. Part of what makes the Wi-Fi service acceptable to SBC
is that users get only one hour of free access, and they are primarily transient
students.
- CTIA: Springfield, Mo., launches downtown Wi-Fi network,
Computerworld.com, March 15, 2005.
3. Harrington did not answer a question about how things would have changed
for García if the putt had gone in. But his reply gave much insight into his own
views on the difference between winning and losing. And he knows his subject
matter. Not long after turning professional in 1995, he won the Peugeot Open de
España. Between that win in 1996 and his second victory four years later, he
finished second 17 times. He has 30 runner-up finishes as a professional.
"I would be aware myself of the twin impostors of success and failure, how
similar they are," he said. "Over the years, I've done some great things and
looked like I've lost tournaments, and I've won tournaments where I've struggled
home and won it.
"So I realize the difference between success and defeat, and all players
have to manage that area of the game. Because when you do win, you're put up on
a pedestal and everything is great, and when you don't win, it's very easy to
becut down at the knees (heavily criticized by the media). To be honest, there's
not much difference."
- Lessons Abound for a Winner and a Runner-Up at the Open, New York Times,
July 16, 2008.
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