All About English Info

Idioms describing people.

A Positive and negative qualities

Positive Negative
She has a hearth of gold She's as hard as nails
[ very kind, generous] [ no sympathy ]
He is as good as gold. He's rather a cold fish
[ generous, helpful, well-behaved ] [ distant, unfriendly ]

note also :
He's such an awkward costumer. [ difficult person to deal with ]
She's a pain in the neck. Nobody like her.
[ nuisance, difficult ]
He gets on everyone's nerves. [ irritates everybody ]

B People ' fast' and 'slow' qualities

fast slow
He's very quick off the mark ; I was a bit slow off the mark ; He always gets things before The job had been filled by the time I got the everybody else Forms. You've asked him to marry you! Come on ! hurry up ! You're a fast worker ! you only You're such a slow- coach ! met him three weeks ago !


C How people relate to the social norm.

She's a bit of an odd-ball; very strange. [ particular, strange ]
He's really over the top [ very exaggerated in behavior ]
He's round the bend, if you ask me. [ absolutely crazy / mad ]
My politics are very middle-of-the-road.
[ very normal, no radical ideas; neither left-nor right-wing ]

D Who's who in the class? Idioms for 'people in the classroom'

Teachers pet
Mary's top of the class
a real know all
a bit of a big-head
a lazy-bones