sharp as a tack

English

Pronunciation

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Adjective

sharp as a tack (not comparable)

  1. (simile, colloquial) Very intelligent.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:intelligent
    • 1999, Tina Koch et al., Still Me, Wakefield Press, page 148:
      When Mum died at ninety she was still as sharp as a tack. Everything else wore out.
    • 2005, David E. Talbert, Love on the Dotted Line, page 12:
      But Ophelia was smart. Sharp as a tack. Everybody in the firm knew it.
    • 2021 May 17, Jane E. Brody, “A Birthday Milestone: Turning 80!”, in The New York Times‎[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 12 August 2025:
      Dr. Anthony Fauci, national infectious disease guru, is five months my senior, sharp as a tack even under withering political fire;

Translations

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