He's a class act

Reader question: "He's a class act." What does that mean?

My comments: It means he's an excellent person. How excellent? That depends on context.

A person who's seen by others as a "class act" usually demonstrates some unique good qualities and those qualities are found in context. That is, a sentence like "he's a class act" seldom stands on its own. It must be followed or preceded by explanations.

Yes, and that's the good part of the English language. English, you see, is explanatory, sentences explain each other. While a sentence like "he's a rascal" can perfectly stand on its own footing in Chinese conversations (with no explanation given about that person's rascal behavior), it can never stand alone in English, that is, without risking sounding like an ass. In Chinese, of course, if you give only conclusions and never explain what you mean by what you say, rather than diminishing your credibility, this practice might even give you an extra aura of profundity.

Joking aside, "class act" is an American idiom pointing to somebody possessing some outstanding qualities. Do you notice the "class" distinction in it? Somebody who's described as a "class act" often shows "class" (style). He is probably "in a class of his own" (peerless) and "a hard act to follow" (inimitable), using other American idioms.

Without further ado, let's examine some of the qualities of "a class act" through context (explanations following each example, in brackets, are mine):

1. He (Yao Ming) is a class act in every way, and a credit to China. He is as beloved in Houston as he is in his home town of Shanghai.

2. "I think in the end, when South Dakota and Montana go last and have their final result, she (Hilary Clinton) will sit back and see whether a win can be achieved or not — and if not, she is a class act and will do the class thing and get on board with the Democratic ticket," said Jay Jacobs, a Democratic leader on Long Island and a superdelegate and top fund-raiser for Mrs. Clinton.

3. I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with Muhammad Ali, in person, one on one. What a great, generous and kind person. He didn't have to speak to me, or walk up to me. He saw me take his picture in a crowded airport in 1986. He walked across the concourse and spoke with me, asked if I had gotten a good enough shot, and let me take another. What a class act!

4. America is a class act

The US regards itself as the ultimate meritocracy, but social mobility is as feeble as Europe's - and declining

Comment by Gary Younge, The Guardian, January 27, 2003.

(Oops! That is a word play, meaning class distinction is alive in America.)