Idioms describing people

all brawn and no brain Someone who is physically very strong but not very intelligent is
said to be all brawn and no brain.
He's an impressive player to watch, but he's all brawn and no brain.

bad egg Someone who is a bad egg is an untrustworthy person often

involved in trouble whose company should be avoided.
I don't want my son to be friends with Bobby Smith.  Bobby's a bad
egg.

behind the times A person who is behind the times has old-fashioned ideas and does
not keep up with modern life in general.
Jane doesn't have a mobile phone.  She's completely behind the
times.

big cheese This expression refers to a person who has a lot of power and
influence in an organisation.
Tom's father is a big cheese in the oil industry.

born with a silver spoon A person who is born with a silver spoon in their mouth is born into
in one's mouth a very rich family.
She never has to worry about money; she was born with a silver
spoon in her mouth.

call a spade a spade A person who calls a spade a spade speaks openly and truthfully
about something, especially difficult matters.
What I like about the new manager is that he calls a spade a spade
- it makes things so much easier for everyone.

couch potato If you refer to someone as a couch potato, you criticize them for
spending a lot of time sitting and watching television.
Don't be such a couch potato. There are better ways of spending
your time than in front of the TV.

doubting Thomas A 'doubting Thomas' is a person who will not believe something
without proof, or without seeing it for themselves.
I had to show him my membership card.  What a doubting Thomas!

down to earth Someone who is down to earth is not a dreamer but a realistic and
practical person who has sensible reactions and expectations.

Ask Suzy for help.  She's fun, and very down to earth. She knows
 how to do things right.

dressed up to the nines Someone dressed up to the nines is wearing very smart or

glamorous clothes.
Caroline must be going to a party - she's dressed up to the nines.

eager beaver The term eager beaver refers to a person who is hardworking and

enthusiastic.

The new accountant works all the time -  first to arrive and last to
leave. He's a real eager beaver!

to a fault To say that someone has a good quality to a fault means that they
have a lot, or even too much, of that quality.
My aunt is generous to a fault, always ready to help anyone who
claims to be in need.

fixed in our ways People who are fixed in their ways do not want to change their
normal way of doing things.
My grandparents are very fixed in their ways and dislike any
changes.

full of hot air Someone who is full of hot air is full of nonsense and talks a lot
without saying anything worthwhile.
Don't listen to Alex - he's full of hot air! What he says doesn’t really
matter.

going places To say that someone is going places means that they show talent
and ability that will no doubt lead to a successful future.
Even at college it was obvious that Paul was going places.

hale and hearty Someone, especially an old person, who is hale and hearty is in
excellent health.
My grandmother is still hale and hearty at the age of ninety.

happy-go-lucky If you are a happy-go-lucky person, you are cheerful and carefree

all the time.
He's a happy-go-lucky sort of guy - always in good humour.

hard as nails A person who is (as) hard as nails is unsentimental and shows no

sympathy.
Don't expect any sympathy from him.  He's as hard as nails.

have the makings of A person who has the makings of something has qualities and
 potential that could be developed.
The teacher says Sarah has the makings of an excellent journalist.

head and shoulders To say that one person is head and shoulders above the others
above means that they are much better than the rest of them.
The award winner was head and shoulders above the others.

old head on young This expression refers to a child or young person who thinks and
shoulders expresses themselves like an older more-experienced person.
When she heard Emily warning her brother to stay out of trouble,
her mother thought: "That's an old head on young shoulders."

high and mighty Someone who is high and mighty behaves in a haughty manner as
though they were superior to others.
"Don't get all high and mighty!" said my grandmother to my cousin.
"Everyone helps with the housework in this house."

dark horse If you refer to someone as a dark horse you mean that they are
secretive or that little is known about them.
I can't say I know my neighbour.  He's a bit of a dark horse.

life and soul of the party The life and soul of the party is the most lively and amusing person
present at an event.
I'm so glad we invited Emily. She was the life and soul of the party.

look the picture If someone looks the picture, they look very pretty.

The little girl looked the picture in her new dress.

mouse potato This term refers to a person who spends a lot of time in front of the
computer.
My son and his friends are all mouse potatoes - constantly glued to
the computer!

all mouth and no This is said of someone who talks a lot about doing something but
trousers never actually does it.
He keeps saying he's going to resign and travel around the world,
but he's all mouth and no trousers.

nice as pie If a person is as nice as pie, they are surprisingly kind and friendly.
After our argument, she was as nice as pie!

poker face Someone who has a poker face has an expressionless face that
shows no emotion or reaction at all.
 He sat with a poker face all through the show, revealing nothing of
his thoughts.

has a quick temper Someone who has a quick temper gets angry very easily.
Don’t try to joke around with Paul - he's got such a quick temper.

rough diamond A person who is good-natured but lacks polished manners and/or
education is said to be a rough diamond.
He's a great guy but a bit of a rough diamond!

saving grace Someone who has a saving grace has a quality that prevents them
from being totally bad.
She's a horrible person but she has one saving grace, her kindness
to animals.

shrinking violet A person referred to as a shrinking violet is a timid or shy person.
The witness was a shrinking violet who had difficulty expressing
herself.

significant other The term 'significant other' refers to a person, such as a spouse,

partner or lover, with whom you have a long-term relationship.
Harry says he makes no decisions without consulting his significant
other.

silver surfer A silver surfer is an elderly person who uses the internet.
After just a few questions my grandmother was ready to join the
silver surfers.

sitting duck A sitting duck is an easy target, a person who is easy to deceive.
The young girl was a sitting duck for the photographer.

smart alec A smart alec is an annoying self-assertive person who tries to show
off how clever they are.
Some smart alec interrupted the game claiming that the answers
were incorrect!

social butterfly A person who has a lot of friends and acquaintances and likes to flit
from one social event to another is called a social butterfly.
Jessica is constantly out and about;  she’s a real social butterfly.

spitting image If one person is the spitting image of another, they look exactly like
each other.
 Sarah is the spitting image of her mother.

thin on the top If someone, usually a man, is thin on the top, they are losing their
or going bald.
Dad's gone a bit thin on the top in the last few years.

tough cookie A person who is a tough cookie is one who is self-confident and
ambitious and will do what is necessary to get what they want.
I'm not worried about Jason's future - he's a tough cookie!

tower of strength The term tower of strength is used to describe a person who is very
helpful and supportive during difficult times.
All during my illness, my sister was a tower of strength.

upper crust This term refers to the higher levels of society, the upper class or
the aristocracy.
William hides his working-class background and pretends to be
from the upper crust.

wet blanket A person who is a wet blanket is so boring or unenthusiastic that
they prevent others from enjoying themselves.
Come on!    Relax !  Don't be such a wet blanket!

yellow-bellied A person who is yellow-bellied is cowardly, or not at all brave.

The bus was full of yellow-bellied passengers who disappeared
when the driver was attacked by two youths.

Busy body A busybody is a person who constantly wants to know about or

interfere in the details of other people’s lives.

“My aunt is such a  busybody  – she’s always asking nosy questions

about my love life. I wish she’d mind her own business.”

A cheapskate A cheapskate is a person who hates to spend much money – and

spends little money even in cases where more spending is needed. 

“John bought his mother a $5 gift for her birthday. I can’t believe
what a  cheapskate  he is!”

A go getter A go-getter is a person who is active, energetic, and has the

initiative to pursue the things they want.
 “You can’t just wait for opportunities to be handed to you – you
need to be more of a  go-getter.”

Man/woman of his/her A “man of his word” or “woman of her word” is a person you can
word trust because they tell the truth and keep promises.

“If Gary said he’ll be there at 6:00, you can count on it. He’s a man
of his word.”

A worrywart A worrywart is a person who worries constantly and excessively.

“My mother’s such a worrywart that if I don’t call her every day,

she starts imagining I’ve been killed in a horrible accident.”

Like chalk and cheese. Two people who are like chalk and cheese are completely different
from each other.
Mary and Andrew got divorced. I’m not surprised actually, they
were like chalk and cheese.

A chatterbox a person who talks a lot

My son always gets detentions in school for talking in class, he is

such a chatterbox.