Personality - Pretentious

Master English idioms regarding pretentiousness, like "teacher's pet" and "feet of clay".

review

flashcard

spelling

quiz

start-learning

smart-ass [noun]

used to refer to someone who is trying their best to prove that they are more intelligent compared to others, often in a way that is annoying

Ex: My friend 's little brother is such a smart-ass .

teacher's pet [noun]

someone who is considered the teacher's favorite student and therefore has advantage over others in the classroom

Ex:

{one's} bark [is] worse than {one's} bite [sentence]

used for saying that someone may appear threatening or aggressive, but their actions or behavior are not as harmful or severe as their words

Ex:

prim and proper [phrase]

used to describe a person who behaves in a very traditional and morally conservative manner

Ex: She always dresses in elegant attire and speaks politely ; she 's known for being prim and proper .

Mrs. Grundy [noun]

someone who is very strict and thinks in a very traditional way

Ex: If she learns to be more open-minded , she wo n't be seen as a Mrs. Grundy anymore .

to [be] all talk (and no action|) [phrase]

used to describe someone who continuously talks about what they are planning to do, but they never do or achieve much

Ex: The politician made bold promises during the campaign , but once elected , it became clear they were all talk .

backseat driver [noun]

a person who insists on giving advice about something even though they are not forced to do so

Ex: As I was working on the project , my colleague kept being a backseat driver , constantly telling me how to do my job despite not having the same expertise or experience .

apple polisher [noun]

a person who tries to gain the approval of important people by the means of flattery, praise, etc.

Ex: The employee who constantly agrees with the manager and never challenges their ideas is often seen as an apple polisher by their colleagues .

feet of clay [phrase]

a serious flaw or weakness in one's character that other people are not aware of

Ex: The company 's reputation suffered a blow when its seemingly perfect product showed its feet of clay , malfunctioning after just a few months of use .

all bark and no bite [phrase]

used to describe a person who tends to say things that sound intimidating when in reality they are afraid to take action

Ex: The politician made grand promises during the campaign , but once elected , he proved to be all bark and no bite , failing to fulfill any of his pledges .

to [toot|blow] {one's} (own|) horn [phrase]

to praise one's own abilities or accomplishments, often in an exaggerated way

Ex: It 's important to acknowledge your accomplishments , but there 's a fine line between confidence and constantly blowing your own horn .

wise guy [noun]

an individual who consistently seeks to appear more clever than others in a manner that can be bothersome

Ex: Okay , wise guy , if you 're so damned smart , you can tell everyone how it 's done !

goody two shoes [phrase]

a person who tries hard to let others know that they always do the right thing and behave well

Ex:

smart aleck [noun]

an annoying individual who behaves as if they know everything

Ex: I can already imagine him being a smart aleck during the interview , trying to outwit the interviewer with clever remarks .

Personality
Unpleasant Traits	Unappealing Characteristics	Pretentious	Talkative
Unintelligent	Skilled & Smart	Strong & Confident	Honest
Nice	Lively & Energetic	Proud & Arrogant	Senseless or Awkward