Idioms and other expressions to describe character and personality washes himself / herself or his / her clothes, and
lothes, and eats lots of junk food (eg,
1. pain in the neck (= someone who is very annoying). This is often
shortened to a pain: "Peter is such a pain!".
2. anorak (= someone who is very interested in something that most
people think is boring or unfashionable). Nerd has a similar meaning, but
is usually used to describe someone who is very interested in technical or
scientific subjects, especially computers: "George is a real computer
nerd!" Nerd can also be used to describe someone who is not physically
attractive, and does not have much social ability. He / she might also wear
nerdy clothes or have a nerdy haircut.
3. moaning Minnie (= someone who complains a lot, usually about minor,
unimportant things). We can also say moaner or whinger (from the verbs
to moan and to whinge): "He's such a moaner!" "She's a real whinger!" If
the person who always moans or whinges is also unhappy all the time, we
could call him / her a misery guts.
4. happy camper (= someone who enjoys their job and the company they
work for). Eager beaver could also be used in this sentence. A happy
bunny is a similar expression which can be used to describe anyone who is
always smiling and happy: "Who's the happy bunny next to you in this
photograph?"
5. smart cookie (= someone who has a strong character or who is
intelligent, and deals well with problems and disappointments). We can
also say a tough cookie.
6. couch potato (= someone who spends a lot of time sitting at home
watching television). If the person who does this is very untidy, rarely
burgers, pizzas, etc), we could describe him / her as a layabout or a slob:
"You lazy slob! Clear up this mess, have a shower and put on some clean
clothes!"
7. wet blanket (= someone who spoils other people's fun by being
negative and complaining). We could also say a killjoy (= someone who
makes it difficult for people to enjoy themselves) or, less specifically, a
pain in the neck (see number 1 above).
8. chatterbox (= someone who talks a lot). Someone who talks a lot in a
boring way could be called a windbag or a bore. Compare these with
bigmouth in number 32 below.
9. eager beaver (= someone who is extremely enthusiastic and enjoys
working extremely hard). Note that the people in numbers 4, 5 and 9
could also be described as a live wire (= someone who has a lot of energy
and is interesting to be with).
10. life and soul of the party (= someone who is good company, lively, and
fun to be with. Note that this expression always uses the, not a). A person
who gets on well with lots of people in different situations (social, work,
etc) is a good mixer. A person who loves going to parties and having fun is
a party animal.
11. wallflower (= someone at a social event who has no one to dance with
or talk to, often because they are shy). Shrinking violet has a similar
meaning.
12. crank (= someone who has very strange ideas or behaviour). We can
also say an oddball or (very informally), a weirdo.
13. wimp (= someone who is not strong, brave or confident). If you decide
not to do something because you are frightened or not confident, we say
that you wimp out: "I was going to ask the boss for a pay rise, but then I
wimped out". We can also say a softie.
14. golden boy (= a successful man that a lot of people like and admire.
This expression is often used by journalists). Blue-eyed boy is a similar
expression, but is often used in a disapproving way: "You know that
Alastair McKinnon? He's such a blue-eyed boy! He'll be running the
company before you know it!"
15. bunny boiler (= a woman who reacts badly, and sometimes violently, if
a man ends a relationship with her or treats her badly in other ways). A
bunny is an informal word for a rabbit, and the expression bunny boiler
comes from a film in which a rejected woman gets her revenge on her ex-
boyfriend by killing and boiling his child's pet rabbit. There is no male
equivalent of this expression. Note that troublemaker could also be used
to complete this sentence.
16. slave driver (= someone who makes people work very hard).
17. early bird (= someone who gets up early, starts work early, etc). This
expression comes from the English saying "The early bird catches the
worm".
18. tearaway (= a young person who does dangerous, silly or illegal things
that often get them into trouble). A person or animal who is difficult to
deal with or control could be called a terror: "Annie was so sweet when
she was a baby, but now she's a little terror."
19. Don Juan (= a man who is very successful with women). We can also
say a Casanova or a Romeo (all three are named after famous lovers from
stories). Note that these words are often preceded by a regular. A woman
who is attractive to men but who treats them badly could be called a
femme fatale.
20. busybody (= someone who is very interested in other people's private
lives and activities, and tries to get involved in them in a way that is
annoying). Someone who is very interested in other people's private lives
but doesn't normally get involved could be called a nosey parker. If one of
your neighbours is a nosey parker, you could describe him / her as a
curtain twitcher (he / she watches the neighbours from behind the
curtains in his / her house).
21. Scrooge (= someone who likes to keep all their money and doesn't like
to spend it: from a character in a novel by Charles Dickens). If you pay
someone peanuts, you pay them very little money. We could describe a
miser as tight or tight-fisted: "Don't be so tightfisted dad! I only want to
borrow 10." A person who likes to make money is sometimes described
as a moneygrabber or a moneygrubber.
22. daydreamer (= someone who is always thinking about something
pleasant when they should be doing something more important). A
daydreamer could be said to have their head in the clouds.
23. skiver (= a person who isn't at school or work when they should be). A
skiver often pretends to be ill, and is said to be skiving off or throwing a
sickie.
24. scrounger (= someone who gets something they want by asking
someone for it instead of getting or paying for it themselves. It comes
from the verb to scrounge). A lazy, greedy person who does this could be
called a parasite (this word has a much more negative connotation).
Scrooge (see number 21) would also work in this sentence.
25. rolling stone (= someone who does not stay in the same job or with
the same friends for long). This comes from the English saying "A rolling
stone gathers no moss".
26. clock-watcher (= someone who doesn't concentrate on their work
because they wish it was time to stop).
32. bigmouth (= someone who talks a lot and is unable to keep anything
secret). We can also say a blabbermouth.
33. rough diamond (= someone who does not behave politely or is not
well-educated, but is pleasant and kind)
34. wolf in sheep's clothing (= someone who seems friendly but is in fact
unpleasant or cruel). The opposite is a teddy bear (= someone, always a
man, who looks tough and unfriendly, but is in fact very friendly and
pleasant)

27. salt of the earth (= an ordinary person who is respected because they 35. chinless wonder (= a rich but weak or stupid man). This expression is
are honest and good. Note that this expression always uses the and not often used to describe members of the British upper classes.
a). A good or reliable person could also be described as a good egg.

28. troublemaker (= someone who causes problems, often by being

violent or by making others argue). We can also say a stirrer (someone
who likes to stir up trouble)

29. smart Alec (also written alec or Aleck) (= someone who behaves in an
annoying way by trying to show how clever they are). We can also say a
clever dick.

30. stuffed shirt (= a boring person, usually male, who always behaves in a
very correct way). We can also say a stick in the mud.

31. creep (= an unpleasant person, especially someone who tries to please

or impress people in positions of authority). A child at school who is
popular with the teachers for doing this might be called a teacher's pet by
his / her jealous schoolmates: "I can't stand Linda Harley: she's such a
teacher's pet."