wake up and smell the coffee (to) [exp]

Meaning:

• Used to say when you want to make someone aware of what is going on to them.

Examples:

1. They want to swindle the company out of a billion dollars. Are you aware of that? Wake up and smell the coffee.
2. After months of ignoring his declining grades, his teacher finally said, “You need to wake up and smell the coffee before it’s too late.“
3. The manager warned the team, “If we don’t wake up and smell the coffee, our competitors will take over the market.”
4. Her friends told her to wake up and smell the coffee about her toxic relationship.