21 Social status

Social status and how people see it

example I meaning
He's very nice and friendly, but his brother is very thinks he is of a high social class and looks down on
toffee-nosed. people of lower class (negative)

Don't try putting on / giving yourself airs and acting as if you were someone of a higher social
graces. Remember, I know that you come from a class than you really are
very ordinary family.

Everyone was shocked to hear he was involved in a solid, respectable and respected member of
crime. He was such a pillar of society. society

Her new boyfriend's a bit of a rough diamond, but a person who seems impolite/ of low education at
he's very nice really. first, but who is usually of good character

She's always giving money to down-and-outs and people who have no home, no money and no job,
anyone who begs in the street. who live on the streets

We can't really afford new furniture, but we have to continue to live at the same social standard we have
keep up appearances, so we'll buy some. lived at, even though we have money problems

Social status and job/career

These clips from a magazine with stories about people in the news contain idioms that refer to
success or status in their careers.

He was a high-flyer1 in the world of She is one of several up-and-coming4 actresses

computers in the 1990s, and went on to who have appeared in the new TV drama.
become a dot.com millionaire.
The company needed new blood 5 and she
provided it. Within months, sales had
He first made a name for himself
risen dramatically.
in the world of classical music.
1
rose very quickly to a successful position
2
became well-known
Edward Briggs is definitely on his way up 3 3
ji rising to better and better positions
in the financial world . 4
I becoming more and more popular/famous
5
a new person from outside the company

Other useful idioms connected with social status/situation

I prefer to keep a low profile at work. I'm not interested in promotion. [not draw attention to myself; be
unnoticed]
Oh, you must come to the party! Anybody who is anybody will be there. [all the important people]
Harriet always seems to be the odd one out. She never seems to fit in socially. [different from everyone
else]
You can't call someone 'unemployed' any more. The politically correct name is 'unwaged'.
[acceptable and non-offensive way of talking about particular social groups; usually used in a slightly negative
way to suggest that it is slightly ridiculous to be so careful about choosing words that do not offend anyone]

46 English Idioms in Use Intermediate

 Exercises

21.1 Correct the mistakes in these idioms.

1 He is always the odd out one. If all his friends do one sport, he does a different one.
2 When he lost all his money, he still tried to keep appearances even though he could not afford
his lifestyle.
3 Sometimes it's better to give a low profile at work. In that way, nobody asks you to do
difficult jobs.
4 She became a name for herself by being the first woman to climb Mount Everest.
5 He's always putting on air and grace, but everyone knows he's just an ordinary pe rson with a
very ordinary background.

21.2 Rewrite the underlined part of each sentence with an idiom.

1 All the most important people will be at the concert on Friday, so don 't miss it.
2 It's not socially acceptable to refer to 'underdeveloped' countries any more. If you don't want
to offend people, you should say 'developing nations'.
3 He was voted 'Best actor who is quickly becoming well-known' of 2016.
4 They employed a lot of young people as they felt they needed new people with fresh ideas.
5 A lot of the people who live in those huge houses near the beach think they're a better social
class than other people and look down on them.
6 My boss gives the impression of being rather rude and uneducated, but he's a very nice guy
in fact.
7 She was a very respectable member of society. but then it turned out she was involved in the
illegal drug trade.

21.3 In your own words, say what it means if ...

1 ... you're on your way up in your profession.
2 ... someone is down and out.
3 ... someone is a high-flyer in the computer industry.
4 ... someone is toffee-nosed.

21.4 Which idioms do these pictures make you think of?

Over to you
Look in your vocabulary notebook or in other units in this book where there are no pictures and
see how many idioms you could draw a picture of. Draw simple pictures that might help you to
remember three idioms.

English Idioms in Use Intermediate 47