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sing the praises of (someone or something)
To speak very highly of someone or something; to enthusiastically endorse someone or something; to extol the virtues, benefits, or good qualities of someone or something. Our manager has been singing the praises of the new developers she hired. I just hope that they're up to the job! Jeff was singing the praises of his smartphone all last week, until it froze on him all of a sudden last night.
praise from Sir Hubert
The most prestigious compliment one can receive. Derived from a line in the 1797 Thomas Morton play A Cure for the Heartache. The CEO actually commended you for your work on the project? Wow, that's praise from Sir Hubert indeed!
praise the Lord, and pass the ammunition
Keep going, despite trouble or stress. The phrase is widely believed to have been said by a Navy chaplain during the attack on Pearl Harbor; it later became the title of a popular patriotic song. Until help comes, there's nothing we can do but keep trying to plug the holes in the roof. Praise the Lord, and pass the ammunition!
sing (someone's or something's) praises
To speak very highly of something or someone; to enthusiastically endorse someone or something; to extol the virtues, benefits, or good qualities of someone or something. Our manager has been singing the new developers' praises. I hope they're up to the job! Jeff sang his phone's praises right up until it froze on him all of a sudden last night.
damn (someone or something) with faint praise
To criticize or undermine someone or something by showing a lack of enthusiasm. I needed you to support me in there! The committee probably won't approve of my research project now that you've damned it with faint praise.
praise (someone or something) to the skies
To heap lavish or excessive amounts of praise on someone or something. All the film critics have been praising her performance to the skies, but I thought it was a bit wooden, to be honest. Your previous boss praised you to the skies in his letter of recommendation, so we have high hopes for you here.
self-praise is no praise (at all)
1. Proverb Praise of oneself is inherently worthless or dubious, as one cannot be objective of one's own work or accomplishments. So many companies claim to be the best in the business at this or that in their marketing, but self-praise is no praise, so I can never take them seriously. A: "I've got to say, I really did an excellent job on that project!" B: "Self-praise is no praise at all, Jim. Let's wait to hear what the boss thinks."
2. Proverb Praising oneself reveals one's arrogance or selfishness, which in turn lowers other's opinion of one. He's constantly bragging about how much money he makes and how important his job is, but he doesn't have any friends because no one can stand to be around him! Self-praise is no praise, after all. A: "Would you agree that you're one of the best musicians in the world right now?" B: "Self-praise is no praise at all, so I don't think it would be very seemly to try to answer that."
self-praise is no recommendation (at all)
1. Proverb Praise of oneself is worth nothing, as one cannot be objective of one's own work or accomplishments. So many companies claim to be the best in the business at this or that in their marketing, but self-praise is no recommendation, so I can never take them seriously. A: "This is the best work we've ever done. People are going to absolutely go crazy for it!" B: "Self-praise is no recommendation at all, Jim. We'll have to wait and see how it does on the market."
2. Proverb Praising oneself reveals one's arrogance or selfishness, which in turn lowers other's opinion of one. He's constantly bragging about how much money he makes and how important his job is, but he doesn't have any friends because no one can stand to be around him! Self-praise is no recommendation, after all. A: "Would you agree that you're one of the best musicians in the world right now?" B: "Self-praise is no recommendation at all, so I don't think it would be very seemly of me to answer that."
damn someone or something with faint praise
Fig. to criticize someone or something indirectly by not praising enthusiastically. The critic did not say that he disliked the play, but he damned it with faint praise. Mrs. Brown is very proud of her son's achievements, but damns her daughter's with faint praise.
praise someone or something to the skies
Fig. to give someone or something much praise. He wasn't very good, but his friends praised him to the skies. They liked your pie. Everyone praised it to the skies.
Self-praise is no recommendation.
Prov. If you praise yourself, people will think that you are boastful and will not respect you. After listening to the lawyer brag about his achievements for a solid half hour, I decided I would find someone else to handle my case. Self-praise is no recommendation.
sing someone's or something's praisesand sing the praises of someone or something
Fig. to praise someone highly and enthusiastically. The boss is singing his new secretary's praises. The theater critics are singing the praises of the young actor.
damn with faint praise
Compliment so feebly that it amounts to no compliment at all, or even implies condemnation. For example, The reviewer damned the singer with faint praise, admiring her dress but not mentioning her voice . This idea was already expressed in Roman times by Favorinus (c. a.d. 110) but the actual expression comes from Alexander Pope's Epistle to Doctor Arbuthnot (1733): "Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer, and, without sneering, teach the rest to sneer."
praise to the skies
Commend lavishly or excessively, as in The critics praised the new soprano to the skies. This expression, alluding to lofty praise, was in the 1600s put as extol to the skies but acquired its present form in the early 1800s. Also see sing one's praises.
sing someone's praises
Commend someone, especially to others, as in They were singing her praises to the entire community. [Mid-1500s] Also see praise to the skies.
damn someone/something with faint praise
If you damn someone or something with faint praise, you praise them, but in such a weak way that it is obvious that you do not really have a high opinion of them. In recent months he has consistently damned the government with faint praise. Note: People occasionally use by instead of with. He has been damned by faint praise throughout his career even though he has scored all manner of important goals. Note: You can also just talk about faint praise. Mr Robinson called him `the most obvious candidate'. That sounds like faint praise. Note: This expression was first used by the English writer Alexander Pope in his `Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot' (1735): `Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer, And, without sneering, teach the rest to sneer.'
sing someone's/something's praises
COMMON If you sing someone's or something's praises, you praise them in an enthusiastic way. Smith, singing Tony's praises, said: `He's different, a real natural.' All parties are singing the praises of the multi-party system. Note: You can say that someone sings their own praises if they say good things about themselves. This may sound like we're singing our own praises here, but I honestly think most people love our music.
damn someone or something with faint praisepraise someone or something so unenthusiastically as to imply condemnation.
This expression comes from the poet Alexander Pope's ‘Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot’ ( 1735 ): ‘Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer, And without sneering, teach the rest to sneer’.
1994 Canadian Defence Quarterly True there is the occasional condescending nod to those who served, but this frequently amounts to damning with faint praise.
sing the praises ofexpress enthusiastic approval or admiration of.
damn somebody/something with faint ˈpraisepraise somebody/something so little that you seem to be criticizing them/it: All he said was that I was ‘capable’. Talk about damning someone with faint praise!
praise somebody/something to the ˈskiespraise somebody/something very much; say somebody/something is very good, beautiful, etc: She’s always praising you to the skies: she says she’s never had such a good assistant before. OPPOSITE: not have a good word to say for/about somebody/something
sing somebody’s/something’s ˈpraises(informal) praise somebody/something very much or with great enthusiasm; say that somebody/something is very good: Both her grandsons are doctors, and she never stops singing their praises. ♢ One day he’s singing your praises; the next day he’s telling you you’re stupid. OPPOSITE: find fault (with somebody/something)
damn with faint praise, to
To compliment so slightly that it amounts to no compliment at all, or even the reverse, a condemnation. The Roman writer Favorinus said, about a.d. 110, that it is more shameful to be praised faintly and coldly than to be censured violently. The practice was taken up early on, especially by literary critics. The classic quotation is from Alexander Pope’s Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot (1733). In poking fun at the critic Joseph Addison, here called Atticus, Pope said he would “Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer, and, without sneering, teach the rest to sneer.” See also left-handed compliment.
praise to the skies, to
To commend lavishly; by extension, excessively. Earlier versions of this expression include laud and extol to the skies/heavens/ stars, as in Sir Thomas More’s “They praysed him farre above the Starres” (The History of Kyng Richard the Third, 1513). See also sky's the limit.
See also: praise