jemanden in den Senkel stellen
to sharply reprimand someone; to put someone in their place
Origin
Here 'Senkel' carries the obsolete meaning of 'plumb bob, plumb line' (not shoelace); the expression comes from the building trade and originally means 'to bring something into proper alignment', i.e. to set someone straight.
Building blocks
Words in this expression
Grammar that uses this word
- beziehungsweise / bzw. (respectively, or)beziehungsweise (bzw.)
- Counterfactual result clauses („zu … als dass“)Irreale Konsekutivsätze („zu … als dass“)
- Preposition 'um' (around/at, accusative)Präposition 'um' (Akkusativ)
- Two-way prepositions with accusative (Wohin? / where to)Wechselpräpositionen mit Akkusativ (Wohin?)
- Local preposition 'neben' (next to, Wohin?/where to? + accusative)Lokale Präposition 'neben' (Wohin? + Akkusativ)
- Local preposition 'unter' (under, Wohin?/where to? + accusative)Lokale Präposition 'unter' (Wohin? + Akkusativ)
Examples
Der hat die dem schwachen in den Senkel gestellt.
After the weak game the coach gave the players a real dressing-down.