take the starch out of

Deflate or ridicule someone, as in That practical joke at the office party really took the starch out of Nick. This expression, first recorded in 1840, alludes to the starch used to stiffen a shirt.

Words nearby take the starch out of

take the load off, take the plunge, take the pulse of, take the rap, take the rough with the smooth, take the starch out of, take the sting out of, take the trouble, take the wind out of one's sails, take the words out of someone's mouth, take the wrong way