the bigger man
1
6.7
- idiom
:
el hombre más grande
- "Who's the bigger man, showing off to their ladies and their guy friends?"
Examples
-
You are the bigger man, and I will always stand by you.
Blog text (14) -
Maverick studies the bigger man for a moment.
Fiction book (1994) -
By turning the Bulldog's size and power against him and letting the bigger man wear himself out.
Blog text (14) -
It's just you and the big, don't look at me, it's just you and the big man.
-
He decided to be the bigger man and apologize first after their argument.
-
In the dispute, she chose to be the bigger man, putting aside her pride and forgiving him.
-
Even though he was hurt, he acted like the bigger man by not retaliating and moving on.
How Mature
Surface Forms
Morphology
The comparative 'bigger' is used metaphorically to mean morally or emotionally greater (more mature, forgiving) rather than physically larger, so the connection to 'a person who behaves maturely' is only partially derivable from 'big' + 'man'. A learner who knows the literal words may suspect a comparative/social meaning but would likely need cultural/pragmatic exposure to arrive at the specific sense, so it is not fully transparent.
Etymology
The bigger man comes from a simple image: imagine two people arguing and the physically bigger man could win by force but instead steps back and shows kindness. That's why being the bigger man means 'behave maturely' and forgive, taking responsibility rather than fighting.