class act
17
4.0
- noun
- /klæs ækt/
- Informal
:
persona con clase
- Everybody agreed that the way she handled the difficult situation was truly a class act.
- a real class act
- just a class act
You guys are a class act in how to value add on social media.
- You guys are a class act in how to value add on social media.
- And when everyone I speak to says that you are that class act, you are the, you're kind, you're empathetic and all of that.
Examples
-
Jerry Bridges is a class act and deserves better treatment than he has received.
Blog text (6) -
Coach McCarthy's press conference shows what a class act he and this team are.
Blog text (28) -
You are a class act, you know that?
-
Now, this is a class act.
-
A class act like you.
-
Laura was such a class act, too.
Fiction book (2002) -
You have been a class act since joining SPEED, and I wish you the very best.
Blog text (9) -
Yeah, John, you are a real class act, just the kind of guy I want running my beloved country.
Blog text (1) -
Will, not only are you great at your job, you're a class act.
Blog text (9) -
Cheers and Happy Birthday to Howard Dean, a class act who’s so smart, practical, and reasonable.
Blog text (33)
How Admirable
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning can be directly derived from combining 'class' (stylish, elegant quality) with 'act' (a performance or behaviour): an act that displays class = a person or performance showing admirable style or skill. This compositional relation is straightforward and common in English, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Class act may come from the stage. A very good act that showed true class — calm, skill, and style — made people call the performer a 'class act', so today the phrase means someone who shows skill, grace, and style, especially when things are hard.