prim and proper
3
7.0
- idiom
:
correcta
- I always think of people from the nineteenth century as being all prim and proper, but they weren't.
- prim and proper lady
- look prim and proper
- prim and proper woman
And meanwhile, and, you know, when they're all like prim and proper and put together and with their drinks.
- And meanwhile, and, you know, when they're all like prim and proper and put together and with their drinks.
- Then I also bought a skirt from a Selfridge and I bought this because I do think that sometimes I dress a bit too prim and proper.
- So yeah, I don't know why I said it's so prim and proper like it's myself, but it it is.
- He's like going to be like, so like pristine, prim and proper like would be like really like bougie.
Examples
-
She dabs her lips with her napkin, pretending to be all prim and proper.
Fiction book (2002) -
She's going to be prim and proper during the flight.
Fiction book (2001) -
Emily was already sitting prim and proper.
Fiction book (1993) -
A time when the core of society was rotten... even though on the surface it appeared prim and proper.
Blog text (19) -
Conservatives were like the prim and proper family members who told you never to speak of sex, religion, or politics at the dinner table.
Blog text (26) -
"Yes, Frances?" Edwina pretended to look very prim and proper.
Fiction book (1991) -
I think of Ora sitting as prim and proper as any antebellum lady, and I feel a jangling of the nerves, a ripple of excitement.
Fiction book (2000) -
So prim and proper they looked now, who had a moment before faced each other down like cats, like panthers, lionesses—marvelous creatures in any case, lithe and fetching, then and now.
Fiction book (2000) -
That's why the defense often chooses the older women and mothers to remain on the jury, because prim and proper as they might present themselves to the outside world, they've seen it all and aren't as phased by the excesses to which men go and the idiotic things they do.
Blog text (21) -
Her prim and proper demeanor made her the ideal candidate for a corporate job.
Synonyms
394
3.0
Official and proper in a way suitable for important occasions
71
4.6
Calm and serious in a way that shows self respect and gets respect from others
57
5.8
Acting more important and formal than necessary
17
4.4
Polite and considerate in a calm, respectful way
14
7.7
Polite and elegant in a way that tries to impress others
13
7.9
Too fussy about being neat and proper
10
2.9
Polite and respectful to other people
6
7.2
Polite and elegant like people at a royal court
3
7.9
Polite and showing good manners in formal situations
1
4.1
Polite and behaving well around other people
1
7.3
Being polite and treating people with respect
Too formal and neat in a way that feels cold
Being very shy and careful about manners
A little formal and not warm in how someone acts
Having neat, polite style and manners like a proper woman
Acting very serious and proud in a way that annoys others
Antonyms
How Proper
Surface Forms
Morphology
The overall sense of being excessively proper and formal is directly built from 'prim' (overly neat/fastidious) + 'proper' (correct, socially appropriate); the coordination simply reinforces those properties rather than introducing a novel idiomatic meaning. This adjective-and-adjective pattern is compositional and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Prim and proper paints a clear picture: someone sitting very straight, with tight lips and neat clothes. The word prim suggests neat, careful dress and the word proper suggests correct manners, so together they mean 'very formal and correct'.