Bajar los humos

to bring someone down to earth; **to bring someone down to earth**; **to take someone down a peg or two**; **to humble someone**; **to cut someone down to size**

Bajar los humos means to make someone less arrogant, reduce their excessive self-confidence or bring them back to reality.

It can also happen naturally after a failure or disappointment.

• an arrogant person is humbled
• someone becomes less conceited after failing
• another person deliberately puts someone "in their place"
• success has made someone overconfident
• reality forces someone to become more modest
• bajarle los humos a alguien
• bajársele los humos

The metaphor comes from humos ("smoke" or "vapours"), which for centuries symbolised pride, vanity and inflated self-importance.

Someone whose humos rise too high becomes conceited.

Lowering that smoke restores a more realistic view of themselves.

The image survives even though most speakers no longer think about its historical origin.

Spanish speakers often use the expression after sporting defeats, professional setbacks or moments when an overconfident person receives an unexpected lesson.

It usually carries the idea that the humbling experience was ultimately beneficial.

Spanish uses humos in more than one idiom:

• Subírsele los humos → to become conceited.
• Bajarle los humos a alguien → to humble someone.

Together they form a perfect opposite pair.

One describes pride rising.

The other describes reality bringing it back down.

Do not translate the expression literally.

English speakers would never say:

The defeat lowered his smoke.

Instead, use expressions such as:

• The defeat brought him down to earth.
• It humbled him.
• It took him down a peg or two.

The image of smoke is unique to Spanish.