{"id":3668,"date":"2022-05-21T18:59:56","date_gmt":"2022-05-21T18:59:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=3668"},"modified":"2022-05-21T18:59:56","modified_gmt":"2022-05-21T18:59:56","slug":"man-of-few-words-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/man-of-few-words-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Man of Few Words \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are you looking for a way to describe a person with a quiet demeanor? If so, you could say that they are a \u201c<em>man of few words.\u201d<\/em> This post unpacks the origin and meaning of this expression.<\/p>\n<h2>Meaning<\/h2>\n<p><strong>If someone is a \u201c<em>man of few words<\/em>,\u201d they don\u2019t talk much and have a quiet demeanor. These individuals won\u2019t go out of their way to start a conversation, and they usually only speak when someone else talks to them first.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The saying can also apply to people that choose their words carefully and think about what they say. As a result of spending time thinking about what they have to say, these individuals can get the point across using few words.<\/p>\n<p>Typically, when you\u2019re using the expression, it\u2019s to compliment someone. It\u2019s another way of saying that you appreciate their quiet demeanor, and they must have high intelligence. It can also refer to someone shy or introverted.<\/p>\n<h2>Example Usage<\/h2>\n<p>\"My grandfather was a man of few words, but when he talked, people listened. He was a smart and wise old man.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"Chad is a man of few words. He doesn't say much, and people give him a hard time about it, but he's a good guy when you get to know him.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"Steve is a man of few words, but he won't shut up when you give him a few drinks.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"Sometimes, I wish you were a man of few words. After hearing you trying to convince people about stuff you know nothing about, I realize you're an idiot.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"If a he's a man of few words, what's the problem? At least the guy isn't up in everybody's face all the time trying to catch their attention.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"I'm a man of few words. I don't have anything to say about that, and if I did, I doubt you would like to hear what I have to say.\"<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believe that actions speak louder than words. If you have to say something to do it, then rather say nothing at all. That\u2019s why I\u2019m a man of few words.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-3669\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Man-of-Few-Words.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"161\" height=\"202\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3670\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Man-of-Few-Words2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"237\" height=\"178\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Origin<\/h2>\n<p>The origin of the expression \u201cman of few words\u201d comes from the late 1500s. The saying first appears in William Shakespeare\u2019s play, \u201cKing Henry V,\u201d performed in 1599. The phrase appears in the play as follows.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe hath heard that men of few words are the best men.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the age of this phrase, its meaning has not changed much.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The phrase didn\u2019t change much over the last 5500-years. However, It\u2019s more common to hear it appear in language as \u201cman of few words.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"English Tutor Nick P  Noun Phrase (327)  A Man of Few Words - Origin\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/e71Zz1A4YHA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Phrases Similar to Man of Few Words<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>To himself.<\/li>\n<li>Wrapped in his own thoughts.<\/li>\n<li>In their own world.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases Opposite to Man of Few Words<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>A man of many words.<\/li>\n<li>Gossiping Gail.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Man of few words.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ways People May Say Man of Few Words Incorrectly<\/h2>\n<p>Some people may use the expression \u201cman of few words\u201d incorrectly by applying it to women. It\u2019s not a saying that\u2019s appropriate for use on women and girls. There are other saying that would do better instead. Some people may use the phrase to describe someone being quiet because they are stupid, but that\u2019s usually not the case.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptable Ways to Phrase Man of Few Words<\/h2>\n<p>You can use the expression \u201ca man of few words\u201d to describe someone who has a quiet demeanor and doesn\u2019t say much. The saying suits social and professional use. You could use it at a friends dinner party to address someone that being overly quiet during conversation.<\/p>\n<p>Or you could use it at work to describe a colleague that doesn\u2019t say much to anyone. Typically, you\u2019re implying that the other person is intelligent and quiet-spoken but not stupid. It\u2019s a way of saying that when they speak they usually have something important to say, and they don\u2019t engage in idle conversation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Are you looking for a way to describe a person with a quiet demeanor? If so, you could say that they are a \u201cman of few words.\u201d This post unpacks the origin and meaning of this expression. Meaning If someone is a \u201cman of few words,\u201d they don\u2019t talk much and have a quiet demeanor. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3668"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3668"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3668\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3851,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3668\/revisions\/3851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}