temporary gentleman
- noun
- UK
:
caballero temporal
- At the gala, he was a temporary gentleman, charming everyone with his polite conversation and refined manners.
Examples
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Once the evening ended, the temporary gentleman reverted to his usual, less polished self.
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She quickly recognized him as a temporary gentleman who would not stay around for long.
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At the charity auction, he appeared to be a temporary gentleman, impressing guests with his manners.
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He acted like a temporary gentleman during the party.
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Many temporary gentlemen come and go in her life.
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After the formal dinner, the temporary gentleman returned to his casual demeanor, revealing his true self.
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She soon realized that the man she met was just a temporary gentleman, as he never contacted her again.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'temporary' (=lasting a short time) + 'gentleman' (=a courteous man) yields ‘a man who behaves like a gentleman for a short period,’ so a B1 learner knowing the parts can infer the basic sense. There is a minor pragmatic nuance (implied insincerity or fleetingness) that may need exposure, but the core meaning is transparent from the constituents.
Etymology
Temporary gentleman comes from World War I, when men from ordinary jobs were given short officer jobs and so were called temporary gentlemen. So the image of someone who is a 'gentleman' only for a short time explains why the phrase means a man who behaves politely or charmingly but does not stay that way.
