down for the count

A metaphorical reference to the sport of boxing, where a contestant loses a match if knocked down and unable to get up before a referee has counted to ten.

• "“But what puts me down for the count is the action of the fellow. Never showed up; just made her miss two performances.”"
• "But every time the music world thought it was down for the count, the orchestra has managed to rise again."
• "So, while Europe is still groggy and the U.S. is just starting to show signs of a pulse (and Japan of course is still down for the count), little Korea will grow anywhere from 3.2% to 6% this year."

• count out
• countout
• lost to the world
• saved by the bell