handsome is as handsome does

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Idioms and Phrases

How one acts is more important than how one looks. For example, He may be homely, but he's the kindest man I've ever met—handsome is as handsome does . This expression already appeared in John Ray's 1670 collection of proverbs.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Handsome is as handsome does, Aunt Ivy used to preach.

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“And handsome is as handsome does.”

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‘Don’t you go taking advantage of my master because his servant’s no better than a fool. You’ve spoken very handsome all along, put me off my guard, talking of Elves and all. But handsome is as handsome does we say. Now’s a chance to show your quality.’

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‘But handsome is as handsome does, as we say in the Shire; and I daresay we shall all look much the same after lying for days in hedges and ditches.’

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“Handsome is as handsome does,” she said.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

handsome handsomely

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