give (oneself) airs



give (oneself) airs

To think or behave as though one is superior to others or better than one really is; to have or assume a pretentious or self-aggrandizing attitude. I think John is really a decent fellow at heart, but I really wish he wouldn't give himself such airs about his writing abilities. Stop giving yourself airs, Mary, you're not some world-class actor—you're just an amateur like the rest of us!
See also: air, give

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Manuelmah-NWEL (Spanish), man-oo-EL (Portuguese), MAHN-oo-el (German)Spanish, Portuguese, German, English, Italian, French, Romanian, Late Greek (Latinized)
Yima-Persian Mythology
Callisto (1)kahl-LEE-stoItalian
Laleh-Persian
Karen (2)-Armenian
ŠTefan-Slovene, Slovak, Croatian