Idiom
Down to earth
A down-to-earth person is practical, sensible and friendly, without acting proud or putting on airs.
How people use it
People often use down to earth as praise for someone who could act important but does not, like a famous chef who chats with everyone in the kitchen. It can also describe advice, plans or writing that is practical and easy to follow. Before a noun it usually takes hyphens (a down-to-earth manager); after a verb it often does not (she is very down to earth). A related phrase, come back down to earth, means to return to reality after excitement or a daydream.
Also said: down-to-earth.
Examples
- Despite winning the award, Priya stayed down to earth and still helped clean up after the party.
- Our new coach gives down-to-earth advice that even beginners can follow.
- The author seemed so down to earth that the students forgot to be nervous around her.
Where it comes from
The image is simple: someone with both feet on the ground, as opposed to someone with their head in the clouds. 'Bring someone down to earth' meant returning a person to reality before the adjective appeared. Using down-to-earth to describe a practical, unpretentious person became common in the first half of the 1900s.
Check yourself
1. What does it mean to call a new neighbor down to earth?
Answer: She is friendly and unpretentious. Down to earth describes someone practical and modest, not someone who works with soil.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: Even after his promotion, Ben stayed down to earth and kept eating lunch with the team.. Staying modest after a promotion is what down to earth means. The balloon sentence is literal, and refusing to talk is the opposite.
Word game fan? See every word hiding in EARTH.