Problems with understanding 高が子供となめてかかる


I have problems with a phrase I found:

> 高が子供となめてかかる

It was an example sentence of たかが:

> ［副］程度・質・数量などが、取るに足りないさま。問題にするほどの価値のないさま。「―子供となめてかかる」「―一度の失敗」

I know that in this contenxt, なめる means to make fun of. I found an explanation
of なめてかかる here: [かかれ as used in the
expression「ナメてかかれ」](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/42544/%E3%81%8B%E3%81%8B%E3%82%8C-as-
used-in-the-
expression-%E3%83%8A%E3%83%A1%E3%81%A6%E3%81%8B%E3%81%8B%E3%82%8C/42555#42555)

However, I don't get why there should be a と here. Are we making fun of
something **with** a certain child or **of** a child? Why then isn't を used?




It is quotative:

> 「たかが子供」となめてかかる  
>  "think light of (him/her) that '(s/he is) a mere child' "  
>  "think light of (him/her) as a mere child"

Although technically a sentence adverb, たかが is only used with a nominal
predicate and never a verb. Thus it is impossible to be parsed as an argument
of the main verb: なめる or なめてかかる. If you want to say something with a verb
together with たかが, you need to attach ～くらいだ or ～程度だ to make it a noun clause.

> たかがバス停まで走ったくらいで息を切らしてしまった  
>  "got out of breath just by running to the bus stop"




It is quotative:

> 「たかが子供」となめてかかる  
>  "think light of (him/her) that '(s/he is) a mere child' "  
>  "think light of (him/her) as a mere child"

Although technically a sentence adverb, たかが is only used with a nominal
predicate and never a verb. Thus it is impossible to be parsed as an argument
of the main verb: なめる or なめてかかる. If you want to say something with a verb
together with たかが, you need to attach ～くらいだ or ～程度だ to make it a noun clause.

> たかがバス停まで走ったくらいで息を切らしてしまった  
>  "got out of breath just by running to the bus stop"

