to give oneself airs
1
8.1
- idiom
:
darse aires
- She never likes to give herself airs, always treating everyone with respect.
Examples
-
It's frustrating to see someone give themselves airs when they have no real accomplishments.
-
You may give yourself airs above ground, Mr. Kiss-me-hand Fox, but down here you're no better than we are.
-
He liked to give himself airs with these little stalling maneuvers, like a religious leader meditating over a disciple's question.
Fiction book (1996) -
He liked to give himself airs with these little stalling maneuvers, like a religious leader meditating over a disciple's question.
Fiction book (1996) -
Despite his achievements, he avoids giving himself airs and remains humble.
Synonyms
4
7.0
To act or speak in a proud, boastful way
4
8.4
Act as if you are better than other people
4
4.9
To become proud and show it in your face or actions
3
8.1
To do something you think is below you but do it anyway
1
7.5
To behave so others notice you in an embarrassing way
To think you are better than other people
To act in a way that is not natural to impress others
Talk to someone in a way that shows you feel better than them
To act as if you are better than others and tell them they are wrong
Antonyms
How Arrogant
14
8.1
260
4.5
1
8.1
- Offensive
4
7.5
1
6.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is compositionally derivable from the parts: 'give' (to cause or put), 'oneself' (reflexive), and 'airs' (affected manners), so the phrase literally means to cause oneself to have affected manners. This follows a common reflexive construction (equivalent to e.g. Spanish 'darse aires'), so a B1 learner who knows the constituent word senses should be able to infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Give oneself airs comes from an older use where give meant 'put on' and airs meant a proud 'manner' or look. It is like putting on a mask to seem important, so it now means 'to act superior'.