proud as a peacock
1
7.4
- idiom
- Informal
:
orgulloso como un pavo real
- After winning the championship, she walked around the school proud as a peacock.
- proud as a peacock, baby
Examples
-
You oughta be proud as a peacock.
-
Joke it up, funny boy, but I am proud as a peacock to be a freedom flighter.
-
You come in here proud as a peacock because some old coot wants to paint your picture.
Fiction book (1998) -
You've just put the finishing touches on your latest assignment and are as proud as a peacock to show off for your client.
Fiction book (2000) -
He felt proud as a peacock when he received the award for best employee.
-
Graduating with honors made him proud as a peacock during the ceremony.
Synonyms
108
1.4
Looking strong and important in a way that makes people feel respect
85
5.2
A person who feels too pleased with themselves in a way that annoys others
24
5.4
Thinking you are much better than other people
8
6.1
Feeling or acting as if you are better than other people
7
3.7
Being too proud of achievements or skills in a way that annoys others
6
4.9
Too pleased with yourself in a way that annoys others
3
6.1
Feeling very proud because of something you did
2
9.8
Too much pride and confidence that makes people dislike you
Feeling very proud and excited and showing it to others
Believing you are better than other people and acting like it
Antonyms
How Proud
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'extremely proud or showy' is directly inferable from combining 'proud' with the image of a 'peacock' (a bird famously known for its ostentatious tail display); the simile pattern 'as a peacock' transparently signals an intensified, showy form of pride. This animal-based comparative is a common, cross-linguistic metaphorical pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words should be able to deduce the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Proud as a peacock comes from the bird's habit of spreading its long, bright tail to show off. So, when someone is proud as a peacock they are 'extremely proud' or very showy.