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
MladenMLAH-den (Croatian, Serbian)Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian
Eir-Norse Mythology, Icelandic, Norwegian
Yunus-Arabic, Turkish
EssieES-eeEnglish
Tryggve-Swedish
Heriberto-Spanish, Portuguese