past master
1
6.9
- noun
:
experto
- To overcome alienation, to become the past master of your faith, Right to be able, right to change the objective conditions.
Examples
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And what Watts was telling Cameron is that his advice was to take that further and study the works of the past masters and emulate that.
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Perhaps (since we must insist on it) Robinson was a past master in these things, as in many others, but he didn't set them up in the place where we install them with far too great solemnity.
Academic text (1998) -
He would just, he was a past master at changing the subject.
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Clinton is a past master at reading an audience, which is why he's so good at explaining policy and its effects.
Blog text (31) -
He is a past master at solving complex mathematical problems, having spent years honing his skills.
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She has become a past master in the art of negotiation after decades of experience in international relations.
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As a past master of traditional woodworking, he creates stunning furniture pieces that reflect his years of expertise.
Synonyms
791
4.2
A person who is very skilled in an activity or art
1
3.7
A person with a lot of experience in a job or activity
A person who has a lot of experience in a job or activity
Antonyms
How Skilled
Surface Forms
Morphology
While 'master' clearly denotes an expert, the modifier 'past' does not transparently contribute the sense 'very experienced' and can easily be misread as 'former'. The combined meaning is therefore partially predictable from the parts (expert + experience) but relies on a conventionalized collocation that a B1 learner may not infer without prior exposure.
Etymology
Past master came to mean someone very skilled because former leaders kept their skill and experience after their time in charge. People trusted a past master's long experience, so now it is used for 'an expert'.