"down a peg" vs "down a hill"

[Yuri Yurinov]

English Language Tests, Intermediate level

ESL/EFL Test #289 "English Slang Idioms (11)", question 6

Everyone agreed that Jim was too arrogant, and they wanted to knock him down a ..........

(a) well
(b) peg
(c) hill
(d) head

English Language Tests, Intermediate level

ESL/EFL Test #289 "English Slang Idioms (11)", answer 6

Everyone agreed that Jim was too arrogant, and they wanted to knock him down a peg.

Correct answer: (b) peg

Your answer was: incorrect
Everyone agreed that Jim was too arrogant, and they wanted to knock him down a hill.
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And why down a peg? I thought that a peg is something like a wooden nail in the wall for hanging clothes.
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Everything is Anything.

Please NO Youtube on "My first steps in English" thread... Yuri Zverev

[Mister Micawber]

No. 'Knock down a peg' is an IDIOM. This is an idiom quiz.
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Yuri Yurinov]

Hi Mr Micawber,

Thank you very much for your help. But what about the etymology of this idiom?

I can only guess, but maybe there once was time when the sellers of clothes hang the best of them on the pegs situated higher than other ones. Let us suppouse that sometimes such clothes had not been sold for a long time and the sellers took them down a peg or two. Then people became to apply that to arrogant persons, i.e. 'take them down a peg or two' or then 'knock them down a peg or two' to make them less proud of themselves.

Is there a grain of sense in my hypothesis?

Best regards.

Yuri
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Everything is Anything.

Please NO Youtube on "My first steps in English" thread... Yuri Zverev

[Mister Micawber]

Hello Yuri,

For someone as curious as you are, I'm surprised that you don't take the time to do any internet searching for yourself.
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Yuri Yurinov]

Hello Mr Micawber,

Thank you for your advice. Now I know the direction and I'll try to search the meaning ang the origin of idioms by myself.

Best wishes.

Yuri
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Everything is Anything.

Please NO Youtube on "My first steps in English" thread... Yuri Zverev

[Nenad11]

Does to knock someone down a peg means to put smb down on the ground?

[Mister Micawber]

No, it means to humble smb.
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's