Idioms: airs and graces

Check out my companion project: An Idiom a Day (www.twitter.com/AVDemid)

Idiom(s) of the day: airs (and graces)

Variation(s): put on airs (and graces); assume airs; give yourself airs; too many airs and graces; all airs and graces

My category (Russian-to-English translation): Самодовольство и унижение (Self-importance and humiliation).

Explanation(s):

Collins Cobuild Dictionary of Idioms, 2004 (CCDI):

If you say that someone has airs and graces, you disapprove of them for behaving in a way which shows that they think they are more important than other people. You can also say that someone puts on airs (and graces). [BRITISH]

Lingvo (www.lingvo.com):

an affectation of superiority

To show conceit; act in a superior or condescending manner.

affected manners intended to impress others (esp in the phrases give oneself airs, put on airs)

Babylon (www.babylon.com):

artificiality; affected behavior that is meant to make one seem more important; arrogant manner

Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary v4.7:

affected or unnatural manner; manifestation of pride or vanity; assumed haughtiness

to assume an affected or haughty manner

Translation(s):

CCDI:

Манерность, жеманство; высокопарный слог; жеманничать, манерничать.

Lingvo (www.lingvo.com):

манерность, жеманство; напыщенные манеры; выспренний, высокопарный слог

держаться высокомерно

кривляка (all airs and graces)

Babylon (www.babylon.com):

Multitran (www.multitran.ru):

важничать

Multilex (www.multilex.ru):

Examples:

CCDI:

I have never liked him and his daughter is so full of airs and graces.

Ian is such a nice bloke. He has no airs and graces.

In Liverpool I can still be myself, I don’t have to put on any airs and graces there.

The occasional Englishman tries to put on airs but we let it pass. It’s just comic when they try to pretend they’re still the master race.

He put on no airs, but his charisma was enormous.

Lingvo (www.lingvo.com):

Indeed, she rehearsed that exalted part in life with great satisfaction to herself, and to the amusement of old Sir Pitt, who chuckled at her airs and graces... (W. Thackeray, ‘Vanity Fair’, ch. XXXIX) — Она и в самом деле с огромным удовольствием репетировала эту лестную роль, к восторгу сэра Питта, который потешался над ее ужимками и гримасами...

Poor Laura, she shed all her airs and graces, trying to make the most of the little money Alf gave her to buy food... (K. S. Prichard, ‘The Roaring Nineties’, ch. 64) — Бедная Лора! Она забыла все свои великосветские замашки, стараясь свести концы с концами, - ведь Альф давал ей теперь так мало денег на хозяйство...

He... taught me to condense, and to avoid literary airs and graces in simple statements. (K. S. Prichard, ‘Child of the Hurricane’, ch. XXVI) — Полковник... научил меня писать коротко и ясно, избегая в простом сообщении высокопарных фраз.

The fact that her parents own a villa in Capri is no reason for Amanda to keep putting on airs.

Babylon (www.babylon.com):

Oxford English Dictionary (OED) v4.0:

1711 Addison Spect. No. 98 ⁋5 Nature has‥given it [the Face] Airs and Graces that cannot be described.

Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary v4.7:

He acquired airs that were insufferable to his friends.

As their fortune increased, they began to put on airs.

British National Corpus (BNC), Mark Davies (http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/): airs and graces, total 14

"Main thing is," she used to explain, "we have to act natural, because that's what they done, none of your fancy airs and graces. Just natural and nice, and ever so ladylike."

In his day a College of Advanced Technology, it has since grown in size and been raised to the status of a university, but without putting on any airs and graces.

"Don't come your highty-tighty airs and graces over me, you common baggage, you!" snapped the other woman venomously.

Denis Smith and his right hand man Malcolm Crosby are not ones for airs and graces … They're two of football's straightest talkers with a record of championships

"There are definitely no airs and graces out there on the track, even from the princess herself," said an insider.

Bella never put on airs and graces, remaining a real Blackpool girl.

Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA), Mark Davies (http:// www.americancorpus.org/): airs and graces, total 6

For intensely private and low-key William-ever aware of his status as future King of England-it's Kate, a pretty, sensible, English-rose type "who has no airs and graces," says a friend, and, like William, " loves the countryside and loves to play sports."

Your father's sure he was there on some sort of security job, something highup and secret, but in my opinion he was simply living on his rich wife's money, a guttersnipe who married money and now he's come back to show off the airs and graces he picked up in Europe.

Proud of his horsemanship, he communed with blue bloods on the polo field, "putting on all sorts of airs and graces," as an old friend has put it.

You can all stand by and see this nobody -- this social hanger-on, with his trumpery airs and graces -- publicly cast doubt on my honour and question my word!

Yes, Valentino probably would still love the serious-minded photographer with her artistic airs and graces.

My companion project: An Idiom a Day (www.twitter.com/AVDemid):

Airs and graces, chairs and faces, spares and laces

Are the things we put on when the flair in place is.