Idiom
Break the mold
To break the mold is to do something in a new and different way, unlike anything done before.
How people use it
It is used for people, products or ideas that are refreshingly original: her teaching style broke the mold. It is usually praise. A related form is they broke the mold when they made him (or her), meaning a person is one of a kind. British English spells it mould. The tone is neutral to informal.
Also said: broke the mold, break the mould.
Examples
- The new library broke the mold with its rooftop garden and maker space.
- Our coach broke the mold by letting players design their own training plans.
- Grandpa was one of a kind; they broke the mold when they made him.
Where it comes from
It comes from casting metal or plaster in a mold. If the mold was broken after one piece was made, no exact copy could ever be produced. The Italian poet Ludovico Ariosto used the image in the 1500s, saying nature made a man and then broke the mold, and English writers took it up soon after.
Check yourself
1. If a designer breaks the mold, what does she do?
Answer: Something new and original. Breaking the mold means doing things in a fresh, different way.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: The tiny electric truck broke the mold for delivery vehicles.. The idiom means being original, so copying older films does not fit.
Similar idioms
Word game fan? See every word hiding in MOLD.