poet and not know it

9.9

A person who says or writes something that sounds like a poem without knowing it

idiom

Informal

: poeta y no lo sabe

He ended his speech with a couplet and we all laughed, saying he’s a poet and not know it.

Examples

You made that rhyme without trying—you’re a poet and not know it!
Did you just rhyme? You're a poet and not know it!
She wrote a catchy verse for the party invitation; she’s truly a poet and not know it.
You're a poet and not know it!
You turned a simple phrase into a rhyme; you're a poet and not know it!
His text message included a cute rhyme, and I joked that he is a poet and not know it.
After hearing her song lyrics, I told her she's a poet and not know it.

Surface Forms

poet and not know it main

Morphology

poet + and + not + know + it

The meaning — that someone behaves like or has produced something poetic without realizing it — is directly inferable from combining 'poet' with the clause 'and not know it' (i.e. 'you are a poet and you don't realize it'). This is a transparent, compositional pattern used humorously and follows an obvious logical structure that a B1 learner who knows the constituent words should grasp.

Etymology

Poet and not know it may come from a friendly joke about someone who speaks or writes words that sound like a poem by accident: they are a poet but do not know it. So people use this line to laugh and say someone has made a 'poem' or a 'rhyme' without trying.