drag someone's name through the mud
Meaning: To damage someone's reputation publicly.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “The tabloids dragged the singer's name through the mud.”
Category: Nature
Origin: Mud as dirt that stains; "mud" has meant slander since the 19th century (see "mudslinging"). The phrase is common from the 19th century.
Equivalents in other languages
- Portuguese: arrastar pela lama — literally: to drag through the mud
- Polish: zmieszać z błotem — literally: to mix with mud
- French: Vouer aux gémonies — literally: To consign to the Gemoniae
- French: Dire pis que pendre de quelqu'un — literally: To say worse than hanging about someone
More idioms — Nature
- as old as the hills — Extremely old.
- can't see the forest for the trees — Too focused on details to understand the whole situation.
- find one's sea legs — To get used to a boat's movement; to grow comfortable in a new situation.
- storm clouds are gathering — Trouble is coming.
- terra firma — Solid ground, as opposed to the sea or the air.
- a rolling stone gathers no moss — Someone who keeps moving never settles or accumulates anything; sometimes also, keeping a…
More English idioms
- there's no accounting for taste — People's preferences cannot be explained.
- get one's hooks into — To get a firm hold or control over something or someone.
- don't judge a book by its cover — Don't form an opinion based only on appearance.
- forewarned is forearmed — Knowing about something in advance lets you prepare.
- behind closed doors — In private or in secret.
- a low blow — An unfair or cruel attack.