hold a mirror up to

Verb

hold a mirror to (third-person singular simple present holds a mirror to, present participle holding a mirror to, simple past and past participle held a mirror to)

1. To reflect; to represent and by resemblance provide insight into.
   • Or, as Dr. Gregory Stevenson suggests, do the supernatural trials and tribulations of the Winchesters appeal because they merely hold a mirror to the more mundane terrors we all face every day?2009, Leah Wilson, In the Hunt: Unauthorized Essays on Supernatural, page 39
2. To elucidate; to make explicit some aspect of.
   • To speak "truth to power" should not be considered negative: to hold a mirror to society, even a mirror that embodies the biases and anguish of its creator, is not a negative act.2005, Omar Swartz, In Defense of Partisan Criticism, page 55
3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see hold, mirror.
   • Hold a mirror to the pet's nose. If no condensation appears, the animal is probably dead.2011, David Borgenicht, Joshua Piven, Ben H. Winters, The Complete Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Man Skills