a budding genius
A young person who exhibits signs of great intelligence. This kid's a budding genius—have you seen the complex equations he can solve? No offense, but every parent thinks their child is a budding genius. I can't believe Lucy's so eloquent at just five years old! She may well be a budding genius.
Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.
proverb Genius or things considered to have the quality of genius may derive from brilliant ideas or intellect, but they require a huge amount of hard work to be successful. The phrase is attributed to US inventor Thomas Edison. All these successful entrepreneurs had great ideas, sure, but they worked extremely hard to realize them. Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration. He's a smart guy, yeah, but he's lazy. He won't get far, considering genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration. Maybe these designers are born with some innate brilliance, but their designs are the result of hard work and dedication. Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration, after all.
Genius is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration.
proverb Genius or things considered to have the quality of genius may derive from brilliant ideas or intellect, but they require a huge amount of hard work to be successful. All these successful entrepreneurs had great ideas, sure, but they worked extremely hard to realize them. Genius is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration. He's a smart guy, yeah, but he's lazy. He won't get far, considering genius is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration. Maybe these designers are born with some innate brilliance, but their designs are the result of hard work and dedication. Genius is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration, after all.
Genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains.
proverb What appears as exceptional intellectual or creative capacity is actually the ability to continually exert great effort and attention to detail. Maybe these designers are born with some innate brilliance, but their designs are the result of a laser focus on getting all the details right. Ultimately, genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains. He's a smart guy, yeah, but he's lazy. He won't get far, considering genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains. All these successful entrepreneurs had great ideas, sure, but they worked extremely hard to realize them. Genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains, I guess.
stroke of genius
A particularly inspired, clever, or innovative act, idea, or decision. Their decision to let customers from any other operating system migrate their information was a stroke of genius. I must say, it was a stroke of genius getting the kids all those puzzles—they've been playing quietly for hours!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
budding genius
a very bright and promising young person. Harry is a budding genius, but he seems like a fairly normal teenager.
Genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains.
Prov. Genius is the quality of being exceedingly careful about everything you do. If genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains, Marilyn certainly has it. She never overlooks a single detail that needs attention.
Genius is ten percent inspiration and ninety percent perspiration.
Prov. People get brilliant results primarily by working hard, not because they have special inborn powers. Child: Betty always does the best drawings in art class. She must be a genius. Father: If you worked hard, you could do just as well. Remember, genius is ten percent inspiration and ninety percent perspiration.
stroke of genius
an act of genius; a very clever and innovative idea or task. Your idea of painting the rock wall red was a stroke of genius.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
stroke of genius, a
A brilliant idea. This cliché, in which stroke betokens the sudden appearance of the idea, dates from the second half of the 1800s and at first was always used admiringly. Thus the Tacoma News of December 13, 1889, stated, “The latest nickel-in-the slot scheme is really a stroke of genius and is destined to revolutionize cheap literature in this country.” Later, however, the term was often used sarcastically, as in “You forgot the tickets? That was a stroke of genius.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer