to hit him when he's down

8.2

Say mean things to someone when they are already in trouble

idiom

Informal

: atacar a alguien en su momento más débil

Her harsh words really hit him when he's down during a tough time.

Examples

It's unfair to hit him when he's down instead of helping him recover.
Criticizing him after the loss would just hit him when he's down.
Don't hit him when he's down!
It's unfair to hit him when he's down.
Criticizing him after the loss would just hit him when he's down.
Her harsh words really hit him when he's down during a tough time.
It's unfair to hit him when he's down instead of helping him recover.

Synonyms

to pick on

vsto hit him when he's down

Informal

156 3.5

To say mean things to someone again and again because they seem weaker

focuses on repeated mistreatment rather than a single opportunistic attack

to kick someone when they are down

vsto hit him when he's down

Informal

1 6.9

To treat someone badly when they already have problems

refers to attacking during a vulnerable time rather than anytime

to strike someone when they are down

vsto hit him when he's down

Informal

8.4

To criticize or take advantage of someone when they are weak

is used for criticizing someone specifically when they are weakened

to put the boot in

vsto hit him when he's down

9.1

To attack or criticize someone who is already in trouble

adds emphasis on taking advantage of an existing weakness

Antonyms

to support

∞ 1.0

Give help to a person or idea

to lift up

19 3.7

To make someone feel happier and more hopeful

How Harsh

to hit him when he's down

Informal

8.2

attack

548 3.2

to criticize

701 3.3

to find fault

15 4.4

Surface Forms

hit him when he's down infinitive

hit him when he's downed past

hit him when he's downed past participle

hitting him when he's down present participle

hits him when he's down third person singular

Morphology

hit + him + when + he's + down

The meaning 'to attack or criticize someone when they are vulnerable' follows directly from 'hit' (attack) combined with 'when he's down' (when he is weakened or feeling low), so a learner who knows the parts can compose the figurative sense. This physical-to-figurative mapping is transparent and cross-linguistically common, making the expression predictable to B1 learners.

Etymology

The idiom hit him when he's down shows a clear image: a person has fallen and is down and hurt, and someone else hits them instead of helping. That's why it means 'to attack or criticize someone who is already weak'.