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Glite Dictionary
down to a fine art

down to a fine art

6.3
To do something very well after a lot of practice
  • idiom
translation icon : perfeccionar
  • Wearing a bag over her head was still fun, I thought, but our daughter was seven and had fidgeting down to a fine art.

Examples

  • She mastered the art of negotiation and had securing deals down to a fine art.

  • With years of training, he has finally got juggling down to a fine art.

  • After countless rehearsals, the dancers had their routine down to a fine art.

Synonyms

to perfection
vsdown to a fine art
19 3.5

In a way that is done very well in every detail

focuses on skilled precision gained through practice rather than just perfect result
down
vsdown to a fine art
  • Informal
1 8.0

Learned well so you can do it without mistakes

is neutral and highlights mastery earned by practice rather than informal tone

Antonyms

incompetent
141 4.9

Not able to do a job or task well

unskilled
6 2.9

Having no ability or training to do something well

How Skilled

down to a fine art
6.3
to master
191 4.1
to get the hang of
  • Informal
59 3.9
to learn
∞ 1.0
to pick up
∞ 2.6

Surface Forms

down to a fine art main

Morphology

down + to + a + fine + art

The meaning is partly inferable because 'fine' = excellent and 'art' can denote a practiced skill, so 'to a fine art' suggests achieving a high level of refinement. However, the construction 'have X down to a fine art' relies on the colloquial use of 'down' and a specific collocation, so a B1 learner who only knows the literal meanings is unlikely to fully predict the idiomatic sense without prior exposure.

Etymology

Down to a fine art may come from the image of a painter adding tiny, perfect details to a painting of fine art. So when you have something 'down to a fine art' it means you have practised it until it is done with great skill.