a breath of fresh air

Something that is pleasantly new, different, and refreshing. After dating a series of boring men, Sarah found Peter's adventurous nature to be like a breath of fresh air. The beautiful new paint color is a breath of fresh air for the house.

See also: air, breath, fresh, of

breath of fresh air

1. Lit. an influx of air that is not stale or smelly, especially from outdoors. You look ill, John. What you need is a breath of fresh air.

2. Fig. a portion of air that is not "contaminated" with unpleasant people or situations. (This is a sarcastic version of {2}.) You people are disgusting. I have to get out of here and get a breath of fresh air. I believe I'll go get a breath of fresh air. The intellectual atmosphere in here is stifling.

3. Fig. a new, fresh, and imaginative approach (to something). (Usually with like.) Sally, with all her wonderful ideas, is a breath of fresh air. The decor in this room is like a breath of fresh air.

See also: air, breath, fresh, of

breath of fresh air

New and refreshing, as in His arrival was like a breath of fresh air. This term transfers the idea of fresh air to a new approach or welcome arrival, and has largely replaced both the earlier breath of heaven and breath of spring, although the latter is still heard occasionally. [Mid-1800s]

See also: air, breath, fresh, of

a breath of fresh air

COMMON If you describe someone or something as a breath of fresh air, you mean that they are pleasantly different from what you are used to. I think you're a great family and I'm glad I'm going to join you. After the stuffy conversation we have at our dinner table, this is like a breath of fresh air. Brian never wanted to do anything. Life was stagnant. So Mike, my present husband, was a breath of fresh air.

See also: air, breath, fresh, of

a breath of fresh air

1 a small amount of or a brief time in the fresh air. 2 a refreshing change, especially a new person on the scene.

See also: air, breath, fresh, of

a breath of fresh ˈair

a person or thing that is new and different and therefore interesting and exciting: Having these young people living with us is like a breath of fresh air after years on our own.

See also: air, breath, fresh, of

breath of fresh air, (like) a

Refreshing and new. Formerly expressed as (like) a breath of heaven or spring, this term became current in the mid-nineteenth century. “Her arrival on the scene was like a breath of fresh air,” wrote W. Somerset Maugham (Cakes and Ale, 1930).