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What does the phrase good as gold mean?

Author

Sarah Smith

Published Jan 19, 2026

Today's Phrase

If someone is as good as gold, they are very well behaved. This phrase is most often used when describing children's behaviour. For example: You'll have to be as good as gold during the wedding – don't go running off in the church!

What does good as gold mean?

Completely genuine; also, well behaved. For example, Her credit is as good as gold, or The children were good as gold. With this alliterative idiom the initial as is sometimes dropped, and nearly always so when behavior is referred to. [

Where did the saying as good as gold come from and what does it mean?

When banknotes (known as bills in the USA and some other countries) were first introduced they weren't considered to be money in the sense we now think of them, but were promissory notes or IOUs. Gold or silver was real money as it had intrinsic value, whereas notes were just promises to pay in coin.

What does a heart as good as gold mean?

A heart of gold is a good and kind nature. A person who is said to have a heart of gold is thought to be a good and kind person. The word heart is very commonly used to refer to the metaphorical or hypothetical center of human emotions or human nature. The word gold implies goodness or purity.

What does the simile like gold mean?

Answer: It is a metaphor: gold is a comparison evoking something precious, next to the heart which is itself a metaphor of generosity and empathy (“Have a heart!”) So, “heart of gold” is a double metaphor, but it has become an idiom through frequent use in the sense of “a generous disposition”.

16 related questions found

What does it mean when someone calls you gold dust?

2. uncountable noun. If you say that a type of thing is like gold dust or is gold dust, you mean that it is very difficult to obtain, usually because everyone wants it.

What does as good as new mean?

Definition of (as) good as new

: in very good condition : like something that has recently been made He painted the bicycle, and now it's as good as new.

What does a slip of the tongue means?

Definition of a slip of the tongue

: something that is said by mistake.

What is the meaning of ants in his pants?

Be extremely restless, uneasy, impatient, or anxious, as in This child just can't sit still; she must have ants in her pants. This rhyming idiom calls up a vivid image of what might cause one to be jumpy. [ Slang; 1920s] 2. Be eager for sexual activity, as in Bill's got ants in his pants for Rita.

What does breaking the ice mean?

To remove the tension at a first meeting, at the opening of a party, etc.: “That joke really broke the ice at the conference; we all relaxed afterward.”

What is the meaning of the idiom bring home the bacon?

Definition of bring home the bacon

informal. : to earn the money that is needed to live He worked hard all week to bring home the bacon for his family.

Why do we say bring home the bacon?

County fairs, one story posits, featured races in which people chased after a greased pig. Whoever caught the slippery animal won a prize and was said to “bring home the bacon.” Another version attributes it to a custom once practiced in England.

Why does Bob say his son is good as gold?

Dickens adapts the phrase to mean well behaved (of Bob Cratchit's son Tiny Tim at church). Bob Cratchit was a clerk working at a counting house (dealing with money) so it would not be unexpected for him to have come across the expression as good as gold in his time working for Ebenezer Scrooge.

How do you use as good in a sentence?

'As good as' can be used to mean ' almost'. His career is as good as over. The vote as good as kills the chance of real reform.

What is as green as grass?

[British] completely inexperienced or naive. The job we had to do was wholly new, and we were all as green as grass.

What is the meaning of the saying keen as mustard?

Definition of (as) keen as mustard

: very excited and interested : very enthusiastic I gave him the job because he was willing to learn and seemed as keen as mustard.

What does the idiom pants rabbits mean?

dated Body or pubic lice. You gotta stop going round those brothels, Harry, or you'll end up with pants rabbits—or worse!

Which ant has two legs?

Pant named ant has only two legs.

What is ants in Your pants example?

Sentence examples

— Every time we take our children to church they jump around like they've got ants in their pants and I constantly have to ask them to sit down. — I've got ants in my pants because I have to give a presentation at work tomorrow. — Will you please be still!

What does the phrase Freudian slip mean?

Definition of Freudian slip

: a slip of the tongue that is motivated by and reveals some unconscious aspect of the mind.

What does slipped out mean?

1 : to slide out The hammer slipped out of my hands. 2 : to leave a place without being noticed We'll slip out (through) the back door. 3 : to be said by mistake I didn't intend to tell them. It just slipped out.

What does slip of the finger mean?

...or a slip on a keyboard - a finger misplaced [on the wrong key].

Is good as new an idiom?

If something has been used but is still in extremely good condition, it is as good as new. All idioms have been editorially reviewed, and submitted idioms may have been edited for correctness and completeness.

What does the word like new mean?

Definition of like new

: in very good condition : like something that has recently been made Once the jewelry has been cleaned, it'll be like new.