head and shoulders above

1.慣用語B2

釋義

indicates that a person or thing is far better than anyone else in the same group

例句

Leo's piano playing was head and shoulders above every other child at the recital.

be + head and shoulders above + [comparison group]

Roya found the new library head and shoulders above the old one in every way.

find + object + head and shoulders above [something]

同義詞

a cut above
Similar informal register but less emphatic; suggests noticeable but not overwhelming superiority
in a different league
Same register; implies the comparison is almost meaningless because the gap is so large
far superior
More formal and direct; lacks the vivid image of the idiom but works in formal writing

反義詞

nowhere near
Informal direct opposite; 'His performance was nowhere near as good as hers'
inferior to
More formal; appropriate in academic or business contexts

文法句型

be + head and shoulders above + [someone/something]

stand + head and shoulders above + [someone/something]

用法筆記

Always followed by a noun or noun phrase naming the group being compared. The verb 'stand' can replace 'be' in the same structure: 'This hotel stands head and shoulders above the competition.'

常見錯誤

❌This restaurant is head and shoulder above others.

✅This restaurant is head and shoulders above others.

💡the fixed phrase uses the plural 'shoulders', not the singular 'shoulder'.

❌The boy is head and shoulders above his friend.' (meaning literally taller)

✅The boy is much taller than his friend.

💡this idiom is figurative; for literal height, use 'much taller' or 'a head taller.'