come down on

tomber sur quelqu’un, réprimander

Critiquer ou punir sévèrement quelqu'un qui a fait quelque chose de mal.

En anglais simple : To criticize or punish someone strongly because they have done something wrong.

• My boss came down on me for being late.
• The coach comes down on players who miss practice.
• Why did your parents come down on you so hard?

Comment l'utiliser : come down on someone for something (The teacher came down on him for cheating.)

Synonymes : tell off, punish, criticize

Expressions courantes : come down on someone, come down on mistakes

sévir contre, faire pression sur

Faire fortement pression sur des personnes pour qu'elles respectent une règle ou cessent une activité.

En anglais simple : To put strong pressure on people to obey a rule or stop an activity.

• Police are coming down on illegal parking.
• The government came down on factories that broke safety rules.
• Schools should come down on cheating during exams.

Comment l'utiliser : come down on someone over something (Officials came down on the company over unpaid taxes.)

Synonymes : crack down on, pressure

Expressions courantes : come down on someone, come down on cheating

s’en prendre à, harceler

Attaquer quelqu'un ou le maltraiter sans cesse par des menaces ou un comportement cruel.

En anglais simple : To attack someone or keep treating them in a threatening or cruel way.

• The gang came down on him outside the shop.
• They came down on the new boy every day.
• The attackers came down on anyone who tried to help.

Comment l'utiliser : come down on someone (The gang came down on anyone who refused to obey.)

Synonymes : attack, harass

Expressions courantes : come down on someone, come down on outsiders

attrister, accabler

Faire ressentir une profonde tristesse à quelqu'un.

En anglais simple : To make someone feel deeply sad.

• Sadness came down on me that evening.
• A terrible loneliness came down on him after the funeral.
• Old memories come down on her when the house grows quiet.

Comment l'utiliser : come down on someone (A deep sadness came down on her after the visitors left.)

Synonymes : sadden, depress

Contraires : cheer

Expressions courantes : come down on someone, come down on me