about/around (someone's) ears

if something falls, or is brought about someone's ears, it suddenly fails completely and destroys someone's hopes and plans.

His business folded and collapsed about his ears.

Her entire world seemed to have come crashing around her ears when he died.

• knock someone off their pedestal
• knock someone off their perch
• knock someone out
• knock someone's block off
• knock someone sideways
• knock someone's socks off
• knock someone up
• knock some sense into
• knock some sense into someone
• knock something down
• knock something into shape
• knock something off
• knock something on the head
• knock something out
• knock something's socks off
• knock spots off
• knock spots off someone
• knock spots off something
• knock the bottom out of
• knock the bottom out of something
• knock the daylights out of
• knock the daylights out of someone
• knock the living daylights out of
• knock the living daylights out of someone
• knock them dead