put on a pedestal

• place on a pedestal, set on a pedestal

put on a pedestal

1. (transitive, idiomatic) To hold in very high esteem, especially to an exaggerated degree.
   • 1905, Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton, "The Bell in the Fog" in The Bell in the Fog and Other Stories:

     A group of young literary men—and one or two women—put him on a pedestal and kissed the earth before it.

   • 1998 April 19, Richard L. Berke, "In New Climate, More Politicians Surmount Imperfect Private Lives," New York Times (retrieved 24 Aug 2012):

     The months, even years, of allegations about President Clinton's private life seem to have toughened—and often exasperated—an electorate that now has more realistic expectations and is not as quick to put politicians on a pedestal.

   • 2000 May 1, Tim Larimer, "Rage for the Machine ," Time:

     Along the way, Japanese put machines on a pedestal, cherished and befriended them.

   • 2010, Jennifer Harper, Still A Friend of Mine, →ISBN, (Google preview):

     He put her on a pedestal, showered her with gifts, and worshiped the ground she walked on.

• cherish, glorify, idealize, idolize, revere, worship

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