to be a man
117
7.3
- idiom
- Informal
:
actuar como un hombre
- To be a man means to confront your problems head-on rather than avoiding them.
It was just suck it up, be a man, toughen up.
- It was just suck it up, be a man, toughen up.
- I think that that whole culture will suck it up, be a man and go through it.
Examples
-
I like to be a man of my word.
-
But if someone chooses you, be a man and stand up for yourself.
Fiction book (2002) -
It's time to be a man and vote for a woman that is powerful.
-
You claim to be a man of God.
-
How am I supposed to be a man?
-
I'm asking you to be a man and try.
-
It's about sticking with it and being a man.
-
And I think it's so hard nowadays when you're trying to be a man, an actual man.
-
I started towards the stables, deciding at every step to be a man about this.
Fiction book (1991) -
When faced with criticism, he chose to be a man and accept responsibility for his actions.
Synonyms
36
7.9
To act brave and take responsibility when things are hard
1
7.0
Choose to forgive rather than fight back
Antonyms
How Mature
16
4.9
52
3.0
- Informal
117
7.3
203
3.2
3
3.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
Although the words 'be' + 'a' + 'man' have literal meanings, the target sense 'act with maturity/courage' is a culturally grounded metaphorical extension (masculinity = bravery) rather than a straightforward compositional meaning. A B1 learner who knows the constituents might guess a figurative sense but would not reliably derive the exact pragmatic meaning without prior exposure or cultural knowledge, so the expression is partially but not fully transparent.
Etymology
The phrase be a man comes from old ideas that men must do hard, dangerous jobs like fighting or protecting a family, so to 'be a man' meant to take responsibility and not show fear. That's why today be a man is used to tell someone 'to act with courage and maturity'.