bent the knee
Genuflected in deference
Bent the knee means submitted or yielded to authority, from the medieval gesture of kneeling before a lord or sovereign.
The phrase gained widespread use through *Game of Thrones*, where characters bent the knee to acknowledge a ruler's power.
It now applies broadly to any capitulation: The company finally bent the knee to public pressure.
Sometimes used mockingly for perceived weakness or excessive deference.
- bow downBend body in deference
- deferenceYielding to another's judgment
- genuflectionKnee-bending act of reverence
- bowingBending forward in deference
- chivalryKnightly code of honor
fealty · Game of Thrones · coronation · feudalism · monarchy · royal court · allegiance · acquiescence · vassalage · prostration · obedience · supplication · subservience · courtly manners · medieval tradition · humility · kiss the ring · pay tribute
bent the kneedefied
Openly resisted authority
resisted · rebelled · stood tall · stood one's ground · rose up
bent the kneelorded over
Exercised haughty authority
looked down upon · strutted · asserted oneself · preened · condescended
bent, bend, bending, bender, unbent, knee, knees, kneel, kneels