adorn oneself with borrowed plumes
To claim the honor of another for oneself.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He tries to impress everyone by adorning himself with borrowed plumes.”
“The writer lost all credibility when people realized he was adorning himself with borrowed plumes from obscure journals.”
“The politician sought to bolster his reputation by adorning himself with borrowed plumes, falsely claiming credit for the successful policies of his predecessor.”
- 01
apply oneself
Synonym of strive: to work hard, to complete an activity with good effort and focus.
- 02
be oneself
To behave or act naturally, without regard to how this behavior is perceived by others.
- 03
bear oneself
To behave and conduct oneself in a particular manner.
- 04
borrow trouble
To worry about future events not in one's control and that may not come to pass.
- 05
borrowed time
A period of time whose precise duration is not known but which can be expected to be quite limited, and at the end of which one's situation, benefits, or opportunities will be entirely terminated.
- 06
box oneself into a corner
To create a predicament or problem for oneself; to do something that leaves one with no good alternatives or solutions.
- 07
buy a dog and bark oneself
To do something that one has hired someone else to do.
- 08
carry oneself
To move, especially emphasizing the manner in which one moves.
Last updated August 10, 2026