poles apart
Meaning: completely different and opposite.
Example: In personality and culture, the couple are poles apart. Read more ➺
Quality
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diamond in the rough
Meaning: someone or something of high quality but undeveloped.
Example: I found an old coin while gardening. I think it's a diamond in the rough. Read more ➺
cut from the same cloth
Meaning: share similar qualities.
Example: The new partners were cut from the same cloth—they had innovative ideas and ambitions for growth. Read more ➺
step up your game
Meaning: to improve the performance, quality, skill, or talents.
Example: Matthew said to Sarah, "Step up your game," to which she replied, "I already have by memorizing every act in Shakespeare's The Tempest this week." Read more ➺
not all it’s cracked up to be
Meaning: Not as good as people say it is.
Example: The highly ranked institutions in Boston aren't all they're cracked up to be. Read more ➺
class act
Meaning: high-quality performance or display; additionally, the performer
Example: LeBron James has truly been a class act in basketball long before he entered the NBA. Read more ➺
straight shooter
Meaning: someone who speaks the truth
Example: I really like Ken. He's a straight shooter, that's for sure. Read more ➺
set the bar
Meaning: fix the standards acceptable for the task
Example: Don't set the bar so high that it's impossible to achieve anything. Read more ➺
lower the bar
Meaning: to lower standards or expectations
Example: The revision bill aims to lower the bar on picking candidates. Read more ➺
raise the bar
Meaning: to be better than what went before
Example: Our family is so competitive. Now that my cousin has gone to university, everyone will expect me and my brother to raise the bar too. Read more ➺
