get on (one's) high horse

To adopt an attitude of moral superiority. My sister was a troublemaker as a teenager, yet she always gets on her high horse and lectures me about everything. The radio host is known for always getting on his high horse, despite the fact that everyone knows he's a creep.

If someone gets on their high horse about something, they get angry about it and behave as if they know more about it than other people or as if they are better than other people. The judge got on his high horse and had a go at me about setting the right example. Note: Other verbs can be used instead of get. Understandably, they have climbed on their high horse because they have been called cheats. Instead of clambering on his high horse and ignoring what I had to say, he'd agreed to give my suggestion a try. Note: If someone climbs down off their high horse or gets off their high horse, they stop acting as if they know more or are better than other people. We need to climb down off our high horses and be realistic. It is time for the intellectuals to get off their high horses and to really take the struggle into the streets. Note: Other verbs can be used instead of climb down off or get off. It's time they dismounted from their high horses and started to listen to what we have to say. Note: In the past, very large horses were a sign of high rank because they were owned and ridden only by knights.