I'm looking for a word or phrase that describes the effect of when someone is over-hyped, and when they don't meet expectations, they're criticised much harsher than they would have been if they weren't over-hyped. I hope this makes sense
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A fall from grace? A milkshake duck?– Dan BronOct 2, 2017 at 22:35
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The bigger they are, the harder they fall– Phil SweetOct 2, 2017 at 23:11
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A related term, used when someone has been represented as being more dangerous or powerful than they are later found out to actually be is "paper tiger."– ShoshtOct 3, 2017 at 4:09
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That seems like a huge range of possibilities. Could you narrow it down a lot with at least two example sentences?– Robbie GoodwinOct 3, 2017 at 23:35
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2 Answers
Feet of clay is an expression now commonly used to refer to a weakness or character flaw, especially in people of prominence.
feet of clay (cf. Dan. ii. 33 ‘his feet part of iron and part of clay’): a fundamental weakness in someone supposedly of great merit.
OED-3 - (Subscription required)
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I think Nigel's feet of clay is about as close as will be possible… Oct 4, 2017 at 23:14
An underachiever or disappointment.
