meet Waterloo

meet (one's) Waterloo

To experience a final and resounding defeat. (Napoleon Bonaparte suffered his crushing final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo.) The underdog team met their Waterloo in the championship game and lost to the best team in the league 17-1.
See also: meet, Waterloo
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

meet one's Waterloo

Fig. to meet one's final and insurmountable challenge. (Alludes to the final defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo.) The boss is being very hard on Bill. It seems that Bill has finally met his Waterloo. John was more than Sally could handle. She has finally met her Waterloo.
See also: meet, Waterloo
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

meet one's Waterloo, to

To experience a major defeat. Alluding to the final defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815, Wendell Phillips used the term in1859 to describe the defeat of abolitionist John Brown in organizing a slave uprising at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (“Every man meets his Waterloo at last”).
See also: meet
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • meet (one's) Waterloo
  • meet one's Waterloo
  • meet your Waterloo
  • Waterloo
  • take the game to
  • the first string
  • fair-weather fan
  • done like (a) dinner
  • done like a dinner
  • done like dinner
References in periodicals archive
The train representatives were also grilled over lack of facilities for disabled passengers, problems with leaves at stations, doors closing 45 seconds early, 10-coach trains in off-peak times and not peak times and trains skipping stations to meet Waterloo arrival times.
People 'frightened stiff' of using trains at night as stations are 'dark and dingy', says county councillor; Tory Mike Bennison made the comments following a spate of knife crime in Surrey
Matty Williams hit a hat trick for West Everton, who now meet Waterloo Dock in the semi-final stage.
Kevin is Parr for the course as Walton go up; Corinthian THE HOME OF AMATEUR FOOTBALL Community men secure dramatic promotion with last day win to deny unlucky Salisbury Athletic LIVERPOOL COUNTY PREMIER LEAGUE
In the Liverpool Senior Cup mixed fortunes as APH went down 5-1 to Bootle, however it eas better fortune for East Villa, who beat St Helens 6-3 after extra-time at Litherland Sports, and now meet Waterloo Dock in the next round.
Aigburth closing the gap on the leaders; AMATEUR FOOTBALL
And it went in Lockwood's favour 9-5, and they went through to the final to meet Waterloo who had beaten Lockwood B by 23 points, 84-61.
Waterloo prove pick of the pairs
In the George Mahon Cup round three Aigburth PH beat Collegiate OB 4-0 to meet Waterloo Dock in the semi final while Old Xaverians needed a penalty from Sean Highdale to move into the last 4 over REMYCA United.
Xav's reclaim pole in race for Liverpool County title; LIVERPOOL COUNTY
At the same time, among the dozens of other organised rugby union games on Merseyside, Caldy third XV host Northwich and St Mary's Old Boys meet Waterloo fourth XV.
Rugby Union: Inspirational pair behind leagues for lower teams
The finalists of the Senior Shield were decided when Old Cathinians beat Naylorsfield 3-1 to meet Waterloo GSOB, who saw off the challenge of Quarry Bank OB 6-1 in the other tie.
HEY DAY FOR CUP WINNERS; L'POOL OLD BOYS LEAGUE
`France meet Waterloo in Wilkinson,' it proclaimed after had strangled the life out of the French in their World Cup semi-final with three drop goals and five penalties from the greatest kicker in rugby.
Rugby Union World Cup 2003: Addicted to perfection.. a game from his dream; COUNTDOWN TO RUGBY UNION WORLD CUP FINAL AGAINST AUSTRALIA Obsessive Wilko on verge of reaping his reward
WEST PARK and Hull (not Hull Ionians) kick off the new local rug by union season with a preliminary round Powergen Cup tie today in a match given added spice by the fact that the winners will travel to Blundellsands to meet Waterloo in the next round.
Rugby Union: Winner's will meet Waterloo