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Glite Dictionary
to kick downstairs

to kick downstairs

1 8.5
To give someone a lower job or rank at work
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : degradar
  • So, who's taking Jack's place now he's been kicked downstairs?

Examples

  • After the merger, several employees were kicked downstairs to lower-ranking positions.

  • When the new director came in, he kicked downstairs some of the long-time staff to streamline the team.

  • The CEO decided to kick downstairs the manager after the project's failure.

Synonyms

to bump
vsto kick downstairs
85 6.5

To move someone to a lower job or position

focuses more on forced removal than formal reassignment
to take down
vsto kick downstairs
39 1.8

To move something from a high place to a lower place

applies to workplace rank reductions rather than physical movement
to demote
vsto kick downstairs
37 5.6

To move someone to a lower job or rank because they did not do well

is the general expression for reducing rank in an organization
to relegate
vsto kick downstairs
36 6.8

Move someone to a lower job or position as punishment

is used more broadly for rank reduction especially within workplaces

Antonyms

to promote
182 2.9

Give someone a higher job or rank

How Punitive

to fire
∞ 2.8
to kick downstairs
  • Informal
1 8.5
to reassign
74 4.1

Surface Forms

kick downstairs infinitive
kicked downstairs past
kicked downstairs past participle
kicking downstairs present participle
kicks downstairs third person singular

Morphology

kick + downstairs

The sense 'assign someone to a lower position' is partially derivable from 'kick' (to force/move) + 'downstairs' (to a lower floor), and thus a learner could infer a figurative 'force down' meaning. However, this is a metaphorical, workplace-specific extension rather than a straightforward literal composition, so B1 learners who know the words may not reliably predict the exact demotion sense without prior exposure.

Etymology

Kick downstairs may come from a strong image: imagine a boss giving someone a kick so they go downstairs to a lower floor. That's why it means 'to move someone to a lower job'.