made of sugar
1
7.5
- idiom
- Informal
:
no ser de azúcar
- You are not made of sugar!
Examples
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Even after hearing harsh feedback, he proved he wasn't made of sugar.
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She walked through the rain, saying she wasn't made of sugar.
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Kids today need to realize they're not made of sugar and can cope with a bit of stress.
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Stop acting like you're made of sugar.
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You can't be so sensitive in this business; you aren't made of sugar.
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Stop complaining about the criticism — you're not made of sugar.
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He handled the feedback well; he isn't made of sugar.
Antonyms
How Sensitive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is partly compositional: a learner who knows 'made', 'of' and 'sugar' can derive the literal idea of being composed of sugar, which implies fragility, so the basic sense is accessible. However, its conventional pragmatic use (especially in the negative form 'you're not made of sugar' meaning 'you can stand discomfort/do not need special protection') requires cultural/pragmatic inference beyond the literal composition, so it is not fully transparent.
Etymology
Made of sugar comes from the simple image that sugar and sweets melt or wash away in rain. So saying someone is not made of sugar means they are 'not overly sensitive' and can handle a bit of bad weather or harsh words.