the meaning of knock

[optimistic pessimist]

Dear all,

His careless remark knocked my confidence.

In the sentence above, does "knock" mean "crash" or something?

I checked "knock" in my dictionary, but I couldn't find an appropriate definition.

Thank you!

OP

 

[Rover_KE]

Where did you encounter this sentence? It's an unusual collocation.

 

[optimistic pessimist]

Actually, I made up that sentense because the original passage was long. The following is a part of the the original. The last line has "knock someone's confidence". Does "knock" mean "crash" or "damage" in that context?

Ultimately, the thrill created by being told ‘You’re so clever’ gave way to an increase in anxiety and a drop in self-esteem, motivation and performance. When asked by the researchers to write to children in another school, recounting their experience, some of the ‘clever’ children lied, inflating their scores. In short, all it took to knock these youngsters’ confidence, to make them so unhappy that they lied, was one sentence of praise.
​

 

[Mrfatso]

Actually, I made up that sentense because the original passage was long. The following is a part of the the original. The last line has "knock someone's confidence". Does "knock" mean "crash" or "damage" in that context?

Ultimately, the thrill created by being told ‘You’re so clever’ gave way to an increase in anxiety and a drop in self-esteem, motivation and performance. When asked by the researchers to write to children in another school, recounting their experience, some of the ‘clever’ children lied, inflating their scores. In short, all it took to knock these youngsters’ confidence, to make them so unhappy that they lied, was one sentence of praise.
​

Not A Teacher.

In this context knock does mean damage their confidence.
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/knock

 

[Matthew Wai]

Normally should 'crush their confidence' be used instead?

 

[emsr2d2]

"To knock someone's confidence" works perfectly well in BrE. It means that you made that person a bit less confident.

 

[Matthew Wai]

It's an unusual collocation.

"To knock someone's confidence" works perfectly well in BrE.

I wonder why an unusual collocation can work perfectly well. I am not a teacher.

 

[emsr2d2]

I was surprised that Rover thought it was an unusual collocation in BrE. Maybe it's a regional difference.

 

[lotus888]

Try:

His careless remark shook my confidence.
or
His careless remark dampened my confidence.


--lotus

 

[Matthew Wai]

How about 'blunt my confidence'?

Not a teacher.

 

[bhaisahab]

No, that doesn't work, Matthew.