real dambuster
- noun
- UK
:
triunfador
- She proved herself a real dambuster by solving the problem no one else could tackle.
Examples
-
The journalist became known as a real dambuster for his ground-breaking investigative work.
-
After their dramatic comeback, the coach called his team a group of real dambusters.
-
She is a real dambuster in her field!
-
The team's victory made them real dambusters this season.
-
The journalist became known as a real dambuster for his ground-breaking investigative work.
-
She proved herself a real dambuster by solving the problem no one else could tackle.
-
After their dramatic comeback, the coach called his team a group of real dambusters.
Synonyms
126
4.0
A very important and influential person in a field
5
8.6
A person or thing that is unusually good
2
6.7
A person or thing that is very successful and impressive
1
6.9
A person or thing much better than others
1
6.5
A very big success, like a popular film
A person who wins a great victory in a contest
A person who is very good at a job and gets great results
Something very impressive that makes people feel surprised
Antonyms
How Impressive
Surface Forms
Morphology
real + dambuster
While 'real' is fully transparent, 'dambuster' is a low-frequency, culture-bound compound; it can be partly analyzed as 'dam' + '-buster' (one who breaks dams), which suggests a metaphor of destroying a large obstacle. The leap from that literal analysis or the historical RAF reference to the idiomatic sense 'a person who achieves notable success in a challenging situation' is a metaphorical extension that B1 learners might only partially infer without prior exposure, so it is not fully transparent.
Etymology
The phrase real dambuster comes from World War II pilots called dambusters, who used special bombs to blow up big dams. So calling someone a real dambuster means they achieved a big success in a very hard situation, like 'breaking' a big problem.