Head and shoulders above In english explanation

The meaning, explanation, definition and origin of the idiom/phrase "head and shoulders above", English Idiom Dictionary ( also found in Vietnamese )

author Caroline Tran calendar 2021-03-25 10:03

Meaning of Head and shoulders above

Synonyms:

par excellence , first class

Head and shoulders above American spoken language adjective phrase informal

To be much better than someone or something

Stacy's ability is head and shoulders above everyone else’s in this class.

Peter was head and shoulders above the other candidates.

I found Tom head and shoulders above the rest.

Other phrases about:

to the nth degree

To the extreme level; or to process something as far as possible. 

streets ahead (of somebody/something)

Superior to someone or something else.

even stevens

Used to indicate the fair in benefits, especially after a loan has been paid off.

tower head and shoulders above (someone or something)

1. Used to say that someone or something is much taller than someone or something else
2. Used to say that someone or something is far better than someone or something else

as common as muck

Used to indicate low-class.

Origin of Head and shoulders above

This idiom appeared in the 1864 edition of Noah Webster’s American Dictionary. However, it was used in a different sense earlier which is the forceful pushing ahead of something or someone. “Any, whom necessity thrusts out by head and shoulders,” wrote Nathaniel Ward (The Simple Cobbler of Agawam in America, 1647).

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to look like a drowned rat

To be very wet

Example:

Because of forgetting bringing an umbrella, I look like a drowned rat when it rains.

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