not as black as one is painted
- idiom
- Informal
:
no es tan malo como parece
- When you get to know him, you realize he's not as black as one is painted.
Examples
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The neighborhood is not as black as one is painted; it's actually quite friendly.
-
Don't worry, the storm's aftermath is not as black as one is painted by the news.
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The situation is not as black as one is painted.
-
Don't worry, it's not as black as one is painted.
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Many critics believe the movie is not as black as one is painted, offering more depth than initially perceived.
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Despite the initial chaos, the event turned out to be not as black as one is painted, with everyone enjoying themselves.
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People often think the project will fail, but it's not as black as one is painted; there's a solid plan in place.
Synonyms
Not as bad or evil as people say
How Bad
126
3.5
∞
1.0
12
4.9
- Informal
- Informal
134
3.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
not + as + black + as + one + be + painted
The structure 'not as X as Y' transparently signals 'less X than described', but the use of 'painted' to mean 'portrayed/described' is a metaphorical extension rather than a strictly literal meaning. A B1 learner who knows the individual words might guess the general idea but would likely need prior exposure to link 'painted' with being depicted negatively, so the expression is partly but not fully predictable.
Etymology
Not as black as one is painted comes from the image of someone being painted black to make them look worse than they are. So it means 'not as bad as people say'.