they don't make them like that anymore
Expressing such notions as that the person referred to is excellent and that owing to the decline of society, such people have become rarer; the old school was better; the youth today lack something that previous generations had more of; all the good ones are taken; and so on.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“My grandfather fixes everything himself; they don't make them like that anymore.”
“This heavy iron pan lasts forever; they don't make them like that anymore.”
“He is a true gentleman; they don't make them like that anymore.”
“When the old craftsman finished the table with such care, I realized they don't make them like that anymore.”
“My neighbor still helps everyone on the street for free, and my mother always says they don't make them like that anymore.”
“The nurse stayed by the patient's side all night, proving that they don't make them like that anymore in this busy world.”
“After driving this reliable car for twenty years without a single breakdown, I know they don't make them like that anymore.”
“Watching the retired professor lecture with such profound wisdom and grace, one cannot help but lament that they don't make them like that anymore.”
- 01
absence makes the heart grow fonder
One feels more love or affection for those one loves when parted from them.
- 02
and I don't mean maybe
Indicating that one is serious and not joking about a matter.
- 03
and the like
And other similar items; et cetera.
- 04
be like
To say.
- 05
built like a brick outhouse
Synonym of built like a brick shithouse.
- 06
built like a brick shipyard
Synonym of built like a brick shithouse.
- 07
built like a brick shithouse
Of a man, having a muscular body, particularly with well-developed muscles of the chest, arms and abdominals.
- 08
cannot make it
Cannot reach satisfactory or expected standards or do something competently; describes someone in a hopeless situation.
Last updated August 10, 2026