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Glite Dictionary
to pick on someone your own size

to pick on someone your own size

4 6.1
Challenge someone of similar size or strength instead of someone weaker
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : enfréntate a alguien de tu tamaño
  • If you want to prove how tough you are, why not pick on someone your own size instead of bullying the little kids?

Examples

Synonyms

to take on
vsto pick on someone your own size
133 2.8

Compete against someone, for example in a sport or game

challenges an opponent who is equally strong rather than a weaker one

Surface Forms

pick on someone your own size infinitive
picked on someone your own size past
picked on someone your own size past participle
picking on someone your own size present participle
picks on someone your own size third person singular

Morphology

pick + on + someone + your + own + size

The verb phrase 'pick on' (to provoke or bully) combined with 'someone your own size' (a person of comparable size/strength) yields a directly compositional meaning: challenge or target a person of equal ability. This follows straightforward English particle + noun-phrase composition and has clear cross-linguistic analogues, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words should be able to infer the intended sense.

Etymology

Pick on someone your own size The phrase comes from the simple image of a bully choosing a smaller person. People would say 'pick on someone your own size' to tell the bully to pick on someone your own size, someone of the same size or strength rather than someone weaker. So it means 'challenge or target someone who is equally strong'.