Pride, the Pizza of Soul

Today’s English
June 13th, 2017

To refer to a person who would always blade you by talking about his own achievement, my teacher used to quote the rhyming sentence – “I saw a saw such a saw I never saw.”  Your skill, education, status, money, power, knowledge, age, experience, personality, discovery and ideas all feed your pride. Let’s see how to talk about people who often blow their own trumpet.

1. A big-headed person = one who has high opinion of oneself and is too proud of all “his".

A. He’s a big-headed fellow. Beware of asking him any question.
B. He has done nothing big but surely a big-headed person.

2. A person of great talent, whether your son, friend or colleague, is really the source of your pride. And you often take pride in them and your heart fills with pride.

A. Seeing my students achieve at the state level in sports, my heart fills with pride.
B. He takes pride in doing this job.
C. You are my pride, my son! / She is the pride of our institution.

3. A braggart is one who brags (boasts) about himself. (=a conceited person)

A. I’m not bragging but I think I’m doing well here.
B. The staff was repeatedly bragging about his own past achievements.

4. A feather in your cap= any action or achievement that you can be proud of (it has come from the custom of native American to give a feather to someone brave in the battle.)

A. She got a placement in TCS. It’s really a feather in her cap.
B. His participation in Olympic itself was a feather in his cap.

5. If you have got it, flaunt it = told while trying to encourage somebody to bring out their talent. (Flaunt also means “to show what you have in order to get admiration)

A. Why are you afraid of sharing your ideas. If you have got it, flaunt it.
B. He was very much pleased to flaunt the new car recently bought.

6. To be full of yourself = to be too much proud of yourself, thinking only yourself
A. She’s always full of herself. Who will talk to her?
B. Being full of himself, he never sought our opinions.

7. To hold your head high = to be confident, proud and unashamed of what you have done

A. Don’t worry about other's comments. You have done your best. Hold your head high.
B. I wonder how he holds his head high even after grave charges against him.

8. Hubris = being with too much pride, not listening to others warning, and facing the consequences

A. She ignored the warnings of others in purchase and was punished for her hubris.
B. He felt guilty of his hubris when the project ended in failure.

9. To have a big mouth = to boast of your abilities and achievements too much

A. The very thought that he has a big mouth is disgusting me!
B. I’ve no time to talk to him now. Keep that fellow with a big mouth away!

10. Feel privileged = to feel proud of getting an opportunity to do something (privileged also means “confidential”)

A. We feel privileged to welcome you on this special occasion.
B. Sorry! We can’t give this kind of privileged information. (=confidential information)

“A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.”
- C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity