kick upstairs

kick somebody upstairs

to give someone a new job which seems more powerful but is really less powerful, usually in order to stop them causing trouble for you Brown is being kicked upstairs to become chairman of the new company.

kick upstairs

Promote someone to a higher but less desirable position, especially one with less authority. For example, Paul never forgave the company for kicking him upstairs at age 55. This expression alludes to its antonym, kick downstairs, simply meaning "eject." [Mid-1900s]

kick upstairs

Slang

To promote to a higher yet less desirable position.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Ysbrand	-	Dutch
Minnie	MIN-ee	English
Janie	['dʒeini]
Dermid	-	Scottish
Ketut	-	Indonesian, Balinese
Tomica	-	Croatian