man of few words
Also found in: Acronyms.
a man of few words
A man who does not speak often or at length. Despite being a man of few words, Joseph was well-respected in his field because of his actions. My dad was a man of few words but a man of action, a hard worker who was always fixing things around the house. My grandfather was a man of few words, but you always felt safe and loved around him.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
man of few words
Fig. someone, not necessarily a man, who speaks concisely or not at all. He is a man of few words, but he usually makes a lot of sense.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
man of few words
see under few words.
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.
man of few words, a
A person who speaks little but to the point; also, by implication, a person of action rather than words. Although most writers trace this expression to the Old Testament (“Let thy words be few,” Ecclesiastes 5:2), it is actually much older, appearing in Homer’s Iliad (“Few were his words, but wonderfully clear”). It appeared in John Ray’s 1678 proverb collection, and a version of “Few words are best” occurs in numerous other languages as well. See also strong silent type.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer