Meaning of knock the corners off | Babel Free

Definitions

To accustom (a person) to the vicissitudes of life; to cure a person of naïveté, selfishness, etc. by exposure to reality.

ambitransitive

Examples

“That's the point. He needs a father to knock the corners off him and whip him into shape.'”

“[…] these prefects, about ten of them, indulged any sadistic leanings they had by making our lives as difficult as possible. This was allowed to go unchecked by the staff who probably overlooked it as part of school life designed to knock the corners off.”

CEFR level