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.

a scholar and a gentleman

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.

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 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.

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.

See also: gentleman, lady, leisure, man, of, woman

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.

See also: coat, gentleman, little, velvet

break it up

see under break up.

a gentleman's agreement

a 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. humorous

This 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 .

See also: coat, gentleman, little, velvet

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

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.”

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.”