past master
1Past master — Master Mas ter (m[.a]s t[ e]r), n. [OE. maistre, maister, OF. maistre, mestre, F. ma[^i]tre, fr. L. magister, orig. a double comparative from the root of magnus great, akin to Gr. me gas. Cf. {Maestro}, {Magister}, {Magistrate}, {Magnitude},… …
2past master — past masters N COUNT: usu N at/in/of n If you are a past master at something, you are very skilful at it because you have had a lot of experience doing it. He was a past master at manipulating the media for his own ends... She is an adept rock… …
3Past master — Past Past, a. [From {Pass}, v.] Of or pertaining to a former time or state; neither present nor future; gone by; elapsed; ended; spent; as, past troubles; past offences. Past ages. Milton. [1913 Webster] {Past master}. See under {Master}. [1913… …
4past master — n someone who is very skilled at doing something and has done it many times before = ↑expert past master at (doing) sth ▪ She s a past master at exploiting other people …
5past master — noun count someone who has a great deal of skill and experience in a particular activity: She is a past master at persuading people to help her …
6past master — n. 1. a person who formerly held the position of master, as in a lodge or club 2. [for passed master] a person who has had long experience in some occupation, art, etc.; expert …
7past master — meaning ‘a person having special skill in an activity’, is spelt with past, not (as formerly) with passed, although the allusion is to someone who has ‘passed’ the necessary training and qualification to achieve that status (originally in the… …
8past master — ► NOUN ▪ a person who is experienced or expert in an activity …
9past master — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms past master : singular past master plural past masters someone who has a great deal of skill and experience in a particular activity She is a past master at persuading people to help her …
10Past master — A Past Master is one who, having surpassed the position of a Master, can be regarded as highly skilled and experienced. The term is sometimes applied literally to persons who have led any organization or a subsidiary of that organization. It is… …
