(as) proud as a peacock
Proud to the point of arrogance, vanity, or boastfulness. Tom's been as proud as a peacock ever since he found out he came in top of the class—he hasn't missed a single opportunity to remind us. He looks like a total jerk, strutting around the club proud as a peacock in his cheap suit and gold chains. A: "I'm glad to see that you don't act proud as a peacock, even after all the success you've had." B: "Thanks, I think it's important to stay humble."
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
*proud as a peacock
and *vain as a peacockoverly proud; vain. (*Also: as ~.) Mike's been strutting around proud as a peacock since he won that award. I sometimes think Elizabeth must spend all day admiring herself in a mirror. She's as vain as a peacock.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
proud as a peacock
Having a very high opinion of oneself, filled with or showing excessive self-esteem. For example, She strutted about in her new outfit, proud as a peacock. This simile alludes to the male peacock, with its colorful tail that can be expanded like a fan, which has long symbolized vanity and pride. Chaucer used it in The Reeve's Tail: "As any peacock he was proud and gay." [1200s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
proud as a peacock
Having an exceedingly high opinion of oneself—one’s dignity or one’s importance. The comparison to a peacock, believed to allude to its strutting gait, dates from the thirteenth century. Chaucer used the simile several times, and it has often been repeated. “The self-applauding bird the peacock” is how William Cowper described it (Truth, 1781).
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer