too clever by half
1
8.6
- idiom
- UK
:
demasiado listo
- His overly complicated plan turned out to be too clever by half, frustrating everyone involved.
Examples
-
Dalmar, she thought, was too clever by half.
Fiction book (1990) -
This guy is trying to be too clever by half, and in the process is making an ass out of himself.
Blog text (26) -
I am giving Brown a chance, but I suspect he may be too clever by half and not a real leader.
Blog text (24) -
Holmes is being too clever by half.
Academic text (2010) -
Sometimes my asides are too clever by half.
-
Oh Big E, you're too clever by half, old boy.
Blog text (33) -
Kennedy, young, intelligent, and too clever by half, symbolized this.
-
The Dems are too clever by half and have convinced themselves that concessions are full of win.
Blog text (26) -
But this may prove too clever by half because it accomplishes little of lasting value while leaving the mission vulnerable to a quick loss of support should anything go wrong.
Academic text (1998) -
They have this snarky, I'm too clever by half, attitude, as if they are the only ones who can figure things out, and everyone else who does not agree with them is an idiot.
Blog text (6)
Synonyms
1
9.1
Acting rude and clever to annoy others
Someone who acts as if they are smarter than other people to show off
Being clever in a way that annoys others by sounding sarcastic
Antonyms
How Clever
Surface Forms
Morphology
The core meaning is partly transparent because 'too' + 'clever' clearly signals excessive intelligence. However, the phrase 'by half' is an idiomatic intensifier whose literal sense (half) does not transparently explain the nuance that the cleverness causes annoyance or negative consequences, so a B1 learner who knows the words may not fully predict the expression's pragmatic shading.
Etymology
Too clever by half paints a simple picture: someone uses one clever trick too many and it backfires. The words too clever and by half show there is an extra, unnecessary cleverness, so the phrase means 'so clever that it causes problems or annoys others'.