society
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Related to societies: Secret societies, Building societies
café society
A phrase used to describe the rich and famous subset of society of who spend much of their time going to trendy places, especially in the early 20th century. My grandmother always says that my favorite Hollywood gossip magazines talk about "café society," whatever that is. The money would be nice, sure, but I would never want to be subject to the scrutiny that follows members of café society. Oh, that restaurant is dead. Café society has moved on to a trendier spot.
See also: society
high society
The wealthiest, most cultured, and most fashionable portion of society; the prestigious and fashionable social elites or aristocrats. The young actor's meteoric rise to fame thrust her into the center of high society. This gala will be a great opportunity to make some powerful connections within New York's high society.
mutual admiration society
A disparaging term for two (or more) people who engage in lavish mutual praise and admiration. I can't stand working with Tony and Linda. They praise each other from the moment they walk through the door—it's like they've formed a mutual admiration society!
on the fringe(s) of society
Outside of the mainstream population. Mary has devoted her life to helping people, especially those on the fringes of society who have largely been left to fend for themselves.
pay (one's) debt to society
To serve the sentence given to one upon conviction of a crime. In the eyes of the law, he has paid his debt to society, so he shouldn't be facing any further punishment for his past crimes. I spent nearly 15 years in prison—I paid my debt to society!
pay (one's) dues to society
To serve the sentence given to one upon conviction of a crime. In the eyes of the law, he has paid his dues to society, so he shouldn't be facing any further punishment for his past crimes. I spent nearly 15 years in prison—I paid my dues to society!
pillar of society
One who is a particularly active, respected, and influential member of one's local social sphere. My grandfather was a pillar of society because of how many people his businesses employed. She was long considered a pillar of society, so she won the mayoral election with ease.
pillar of the community
One who is a particularly active, respected, and influential member of one's local social sphere. My grandfather was a pillar of the community because of how many people his businesses employed. She was long considered a pillar of the community, so she won the mayoral election with ease.
polite society
1. The most affluent, powerful, or influential class in a society. The fancy awards ceremony was a chance for me to see polite society up close for a night. But those very generous tax breaks are only extended to polite society, never working people like us.
2. People who are very concerned with established social norms, manners, and etiquette. In polite society, a thank you card is to always be sent promptly after a gift has been received. Discussing personal problems can sometimes be seen as a breach of decorum in polite society.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
mutual admiration society
A relationship in which two people have strong feelings of esteem for each other and often exchange lavish compliments. The term may signify either genuine or pretended admiration, as in Each of them praised the other's book-it was a real mutual admiration society. The expression was invented by Henry David Thoreau in his journal (1851) and repeated by Oliver Wendell Holmes and others.
society
see under mutual admiration society.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
a pillar of society
ora pillar of the community
If you describe someone as a pillar of society or a pillar of the community, you mean that they are an active and respected member of a group of people. He is a pillar of society, the son every mother would love to have. My father had been a pillar of the community.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
a pillar of society
a person regarded as a particularly responsible citizen.The use of pillar to mean ‘a person regarded as a mainstay or support for something’ is recorded from medieval times; Pillars of Society was the English title of an 1888 play by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen .
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
a pillar of soˈciety, etc.
a person who is respected in society, etc.; a person of importance: I couldn’t believe that a pillar of the community like him had been caught stealing from his employer.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
pay one’s dues (to society)
tv. to serve a prison or jail sentence. I served ten years in prison. I’ve paid my dues to society. The matter is settled.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
high society
Prominent in fashionable society, implying wealth and position. The term dates from the first half of the 1900s and was used as the title of a popular film of 1956, starring Grace Kelly (in her last acting role), Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, and others, and featuring some songs by Cole Porter. See also upper crust.
mutual admiration society
A shared feeling of esteem, real or pretended, between two individuals for each other. This reciprocal relationship was first so called by Thoreau in 1851 and picked up by Oliver Wendell Holmes in The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table (1858). Today we often use the term sarcastically for individuals who publicly pay lavish compliments to each other but may have little respect for each other in private, or who admire each other but are not highly regarded by others.
pillar of society, a
A chief supporter of one’s community, social group, or other institution. The earliest example of being such a pillar dates from the early fourteenth century and involves a pillar of the church, which Eric Partridge deemed a particularly objectionable cliché by 1800 or so. Shakespeare used a slightly different locution in The Merchant of Venice; at the trial Shylock says, “I charge you by the law, whereof you are a well-deserving pillar,” presumably hoping that the judge will respond favorably to this compliment. From the late nineteenth century on, pillar of society was often used sarcastically or pejoratively, the target generally being both the individual and the society being upheld. Ibsen so used it in his play, translated as Pillars of Society (1877), and his example was followed by Shaw and others. Still another variant, pillar of the community, may be used either ironically or straightforwardly.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer
café society
The collective term for socialites and movie celebrities who frequented fashionable restaurants and nightclubs. From the end of World War I through the 1960s, the media covered the comings and goings of members of Society (with a capital S, the word referred to people of “good family,” which in turn meant old money), and glamorous movie stars much as celebrity-chroniclers now report on Paris Hilton, Brad/Angelina, TV reality show personalities, and other boldface celebrities. Among the more popular haunts were Manhattan's Stork Club and El Morocco nightclubs. Then as now, a substantial portion of the population was interested in the lives of their social betters, and newspaper gossip columnists reported on party- and club-goers in the next day's editions. It was one such scribe, Maury Paul (pen-name: Cholly Knickerbocker) who coined the phrase “café society.”
See also: society
mutual admiration society
Two or more people who lavishly praise the other person's or people's personalities and accomplishments, often far beyond what is deserved. The phrase, which is said to have originated with Henry David Thoreau in 1851, may have been used earlier. Its use as the title of a song from the 1956 musical comedy Happy Hunting that was successfully recorded by a number of singers boosted the phrase's popularity.
Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price Copyright © 2011 by Steven D. Price