What means too clever by half?

chiefly British, informal. : clever in a way that is annoying or that causes problems an arrogant politician who is too clever by half a complex computer program that is too clever by half.

What does clever clever mean?

adjective. informal. clever in a showy manner; artful; overclever.

Who said too clever by half?

” Too clever by half was coined in George J. Whyte-Melville’s 1858 book, ”The Interpreter,” and means ”too smart for one’s own good. ” It is a Britishism – like early on, good show and have a go – that has crossed the Atlantic but still retains its British flavor.

What is meant by overreach?

transitive verb. 1 : to reach above or beyond : overtop. 2 : to defeat (oneself) by seeking to do or gain too much. 3 : to get the better of especially in dealing and bargaining and typically by unscrupulous or crafty methods.

What is an example of clever?

The definition of clever is being smart or having the skills to do something well. An example of clever is a builder who can construct a deck around any tree. An example of clever is a magazine that speaks intelligently about politics and pop culture. Good-natured; amiable.

Is clever a negative word?

Clever can have positive or negative overtones, but, more often than not, it’s regarded as a positive term. (One exception is in the realm of writing software, where cleverness is not considered a virtue.)

Where did the phrase too clever by half come from?

Too clever by half was coined in George J. Whyte-Melville’s 1858 book, ”The Interpreter,” and means ”too smart for one’s own good. ” It is a Britishism – like early on, good show and have a go – that has crossed the Atlantic but still retains its British flavor.

What does it mean when someone says you’re too smart for your own good?

It means you’re smarter than powerful people. Powerful people who are too smart for their own good, are said to have too much power for their own good.

What does it mean to overreach yourself?

What is another word for overreach?

In this page you can discover 30 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for overreach, like: overact, overextend, outreach, outsmart, cheat, fool, , overdo, overlay, encroach on and encroach upon.

What is a clever sentence?

(1) He is very clever and endlessly resourceful. (2) Her clever opening gambit gave her an early advantage. (3) Betty is as clever as her brother Tom. (4) People consider foxes as clever but sly animals. (5) This figure is reached by a fiendishly clever equation.

Is there a difference between clever and smart?

In the U.S., clever usually implies a certain amount of ingenuity, while smart implies general intelligence or knowledge. There is a feeling of lightness to clever; it is usually used for “little” things like a quick wit in conversation.

What does it mean to be too clever by half?

Meaning of be too clever by half in English. be too clever by half. to be too confident of your own intelligence in a way that annoys other people: She was too clever by half – always correcting the teacher or coming back with a smart answer. Thesaurus: synonyms and related words. Showing arrogance and conceit.

Which is the best definition of the word clever?

— Matt Groening, Utne Reader, November/December 1987 The old lady was clever enough and he thought that if she had started from any of the right premises, more might have been expected of her. — Flannery O’Connor, Everything That Rises Must Converge, 1967 Some cats are clever enough to figure out how to operate doorknobs.

What does it mean to be too smart by half?

To be “too smart by half” (also common is “too clever by half”) is to be too smart for one’s own good, meant either literally or ironically.

Who was the devil that was too clever by half?

The poor devil was too clever by half, and made a big mistake for each of his strokes of genius. Historians generally agree that Roosevelt was too clever by half, and that he miscalculated badly in assuming that he had the political muscle to alter the size of the Court.