A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

bring someone down • bring someone down a peg
bring someone down —
1
. (also: bring someone to the ground)
cause a person to come down or fall: In American football,
you have to try to bring down your opponent. 2. (also: bring
someone to the ground) defeat an enemy or an opponent: Tru-
man wanted to bring down his rival in the next election and
succeeded. 3. (also: bring someone down to earth) make a person
return to reality (face unpleasant truth, etc.): This bad news
brought me down quickly.
bring someone down a peg —(also: bring someone down a peg
or two) make smb. feel less important; snub or humiliate a
person: Frederick has too high an opinion of himself; it’s time
we brought him down a peg.
See also: get someone down / take someone down.
bring someone down to earth • bring someone to
the ground
bring someone down to earth —
1
. cause a pilot to descend: If
you take your parachute you have a certain return ticket, and
one that will bring you safely down to earth. 2. (also: bring
someone down) make a person return to reality (face unpleasant
truth, etc.): So I call for the bill. Which brings us down to
earth with an ugly thud.
bring someone to the ground —(also: bring someone down) 
1
.
= bring someone down to earth 
1
: The ejection seat was used
three times … it worked as planned and three times it brought
the pilot to the ground dead! 2. knock smb. down: A crab-
stick, which was all the weapon he had, brought the fellow to
the ground with the first blow. 3. inflict a crushing defeat
upon an opponent: This nation will not be brought to the
ground by enemy action!
bring someone into the picture • put someone in
the picture
bring someone into the picture —cause smb. to be involved in
or concerned with a situation: “You may need me as a wit-
ness….” “No Steve. Unless it becomes absolutely necessary to
bring you into the picture, I think I’d rather not.”
put someone in the picture —tell smb. about a situation; give
a person all the relevant information: It might be a good idea
if you and I had a preliminary talk about it first, so that I can
put you in the picture.