call someone on the carpet—call a person before an authority for censure or reprimand:
- Less than two hours after sending the e-mail, she was called on the carpet and instructed to send a disclaimer.
roll out the red carpet for someone—accord ceremonial courtesy to a person of rank:
- The whole town knows what kind of person he is and has no intention of rolling out the red carpet for him when he arrives.
Note: The expression is not antonymous in meaning to the phrase pull the carpet from under someone—(also: pull the rug from under someone) weaken or unsettle a person by an unexpected withdrawal of support, etc.:
- When Jane’s uncle stopped giving her a loan half-way through her university education, it pulled the carpet from under her.