gentleman
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a gentleman and a scholar
cliché Someone (usually a male, due to the gender implication of "gentleman") who is admirable or of high esteem. Although used sincerely as a compliment, it is generally bombastic and lighthearted in nature. Thank you for helping me move into the new house, you are truly a gentleman and a scholar. Mom, Grandpa just looked at my report card and called me "a gentleman and a scholar"—is that a good thing? Here's a tip for you, my good man. Thank you for looking after my car—you are indeed a gentleman and a scholar.
a gentleman from the old school
A particularly well-mannered and considerate man, especially one who adheres or subscribes to traditional values and standards of proper behavior. I tell you, your father was a gentleman from the old school. Always a kind word for those around him, with the most impeccable manners you could imagine. I think I only ever saw Uncle Al in a suit and tie. He was a gentleman from the old school that way. Dad was a gentleman from the old school, all right—he would always stand when a lady entered the room, and then he would help her to her seat.
a scholar and a gentleman
proverb Someone (usually a male, due to the gender implication of "gentleman") who is admirable or of high esteem. Although used sincerely as a compliment, it is generally bombastic and lighthearted in nature. Thank you for helping me move into the new house, you are truly a scholar and a gentleman. Mom, Grandpa just looked at my report card and called me "a scholar and a gentleman"—is that a good thing?
be a gentleman and a scholar
cliché To be admirable or of high esteem. Although used sincerely as a compliment, it is generally bombastic and lighthearted in nature. Thank you for helping me move into the new house, you are truly a gentleman and a scholar.
break it up
To stop a fight, especially a physical altercation. Often used an imperative addressing those fighting. Whoa, break it up, you two! When the teacher saw the two boys shove each other, she came running over to try to break it up.
gentleman of the four outs
An upstart. The four "outs" in question (that the person is living without) are manners, money, credit, and wit. I can't stand the young new partner at the firm—I can see that he's a gentleman of the four outs.
gentleman's agreement
A legally non-binding arrangement that is guaranteed only by a verbal or mutually understood agreement by the parties involved. Though my father left me his entire estate in his will, I made a gentleman's agreement with my brother to share the wealth equally between us.
See also: agreement
gentleman's gentleman
1. A male servant to a gentleman; a valet. On the show he plays a gentleman's gentleman named Rothschild who serves the Earl of Essex.
2. A particularly well-mannered and considerate man, especially one who adheres or subscribes to traditional values and standards of proper behavior. I tell you, your father was a gentleman's gentleman. Always a kind word for those around him, with the most impeccable manners you could imagine.
See also: gentleman
gentleman's pact
A legally non-binding arrangement that is guaranteed only by a verbal or mutually understood agreement by the parties involved. Though my father left me his entire estate in his will, I made a gentleman's pact with my brother to share the wealth equally between us.
See also: pact
ladies and gentlemen
A phrase typically used to address a crowd or audience consisting of men and women. Ladies and gentlemen, please turn your attention to the main stage for the start of our show! Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention please?
man/woman/gentleman/lady of leisure
Someone who has enough money that they do not need to work for a living, and therefore can spend their time however they please. The group mostly consists of ladies of leisure who use their time, money, and influence to help charity causes. I tried my hand at a variety of professions, but in the end, the life that suits me best is that of a man of leisure.
the little gentleman in the velvet coat
obsolete A humorous name for the mole. The ground was dotted with tiny hills. "What is it that made these?" I asked my uncle. "Why, the little gentleman in the velvet coat," he replied, suppressing a smile.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
break it up
see under break up.
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.
a gentleman's agreement
ora gentlemen's agreement
A gentleman's agreement or a gentlemen's agreement is an informal agreement that is not written down but in which people trust one another to do what they have promised. We had no contract; it was done by a gentleman's agreement. I'm hoping we can come to a gentlemen's agreement, Colonel.
See also: agreement
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
a gentleman's agreement
an arrangement or understanding which is based on the trust of both or all parties, rather than being legally binding. 1991 Charles Anderson Grain: Entrepreneurs There had been a ‘gentleman's agreement’ by the Grain Growers not to enter the markets of Saskatchewan Wheat Pool's predecessor.
See also: agreement
the little gentleman in the velvet coat
the mole. humorousThis expression was a toast used by the Jacobites, supporters of the deposed James II and his descendants in their claim to the British throne. It referred to the belief that the death of King William III resulted from complications following a fall from his horse when it stumbled over a molehill. The phrase is found in various other forms, including the wee gentleman in black velvet .
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
a ˌgentleman’s aˈgreement
(also a ˌgentlemen’s aˈgreement) an agreement, a contract, etc. in which nothing is written down because both people trust each other not to break it: ‘Why don’t you tell him you don’t want to sell it now?’ ‘I can’t possibly. It was a gentleman’s agreement and I must keep to it.’See also: agreement
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
gentleman and a scholar, a
Well behaved and well educated. This term dates from the days when only well-born boys and men (or those who entered a religious order) received any education at all. Its earliest appearance in print was in George Peele’s Merrie Conceited Jests of 1607 (“He goes directly to the Mayor, tels him he was a Scholler and a Gentleman”). It probably was close to being a cliché by the time Robert Burns used it jokingly in his The Twa Dogs (1786): “His locked, letter’d braw brass collar shew’d him the gentleman an’ scholar.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer
a gentleman and a scholar
A complimentary term for a person, especially one who has done you a favor. Back in the era when courteous behavior and academic achievement were prized far more highly than they are today, acknowledging a kindness, such as holding the door or relinquishing a place on line so that someone else could get a taxi, would be met with a smile, a nod, and the phrase, “You are a scholar and a gentleman.”
Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price Copyright © 2011 by Steven D. Price