diamond in the rough en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
-
An uncut diamond.
He wants to go try his luck at that state park in Arkansas where you can look for diamonds in the rough and you can keep what you find.
They all wanted money, and they all wanted to get away from that God-forsaken hole. Diamonds they were after? Well, he could take them to a place at the other end of the world where there were enough diamonds in the rough to make them all rich for life.
1922, Arthur J. Rees, chapter XXVIII, in The Moon Rock:Often the inclusions can be cut out of a diamond in the rough. After seeing what shape and size best suits the rough diamond, the craftsman will begin to make his cuts.
2009, Cindy Lasiter, Diamonds in the Rough, Xulon Press, →ISBN, page xi:
-
(figuratively) A person or thing whose goodness or other positive qualities are hidden by a harsh or unremarkable surface appearance.
You must tell me, if you can, that Mr. Hattersley is better than he seems—that he is upright, honourable, and open-hearted—in fact, a perfect diamond in the rough.
1848, Anne Brontë, chapter XXV, in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall:Her auto mechanic is a diamond in the rough: tough-talking but honest, even generous.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| diamonds in the rough | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Synonyms
Translations (16)
de ungeschliffenes Juwel (person with hidden qualities) · ja 原石 (person with hidden qualities) · es diamante en bruto (person with hidden qualities) · ro diamant brut (uncut diamond) · it diamante grezzo (uncut diamond) · fi nallekarhu (person with hidden qualities) · hu csiszolatlan gyémánt (person with hidden qualities) · cmn 潛力股 /潜力股 (person with hidden qualities) · pl nieoszlifowany diament (uncut diamond) · hu csiszolatlan gyémánt (uncut diamond) · pl nieoszlifowany diament (person with hidden qualities) · fi raakatimantti (uncut diamond) · es diamante en bruto (uncut diamond) · es diamante bruto (person with hidden qualities) · cmn 璞玉 (person with hidden qualities) · ja 原石 (uncut diamond)