past master

1. One who has formerly held the position of master in an organization, especially a social one such as a lodge or club.

2. One who is thoroughly experienced and skilled in a particular craft or activity.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

past master

1. a person with talent for, or experience in, a particular activity: a past master of tact.

2. a person who has held the office of master in a Freemasons' lodge, guild, etc

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

past′ mas′ter

1. a person who is thoroughly skilled in a profession or art; expert.

2. a person who has held the office of master in a guild, lodge, etc.

[1755–65]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	past master - someone who was formerly a master professional, master - an authority qualified to teach apprentices
	2.	past master - someone who has long and thorough experience in a given activity expert - a person with special knowledge or ability who performs skillfully

past master

noun expert, ace (informal), wizard, artist, virtuoso, old hand, dab hand (Brit. informal) He is a past master at manipulating the media.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

past master

noun

A person with a high degree of knowledge or skill in a particular field:

ace, adept, authority, dab hand, expert, master, professional, proficient, wizard.

Informal: whiz.

Slang: crackerjack.

Chiefly British: dab.

Translations

esperto

past master

n → erfahrener Könner, erfahrene Könnerin; (Art, Sport also) → Altmeister(in) m(f); to be a past master at doing something → ein Experte m → /eine Expertin darin sein, etw zu tun

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

past master

n to be a past master at → essere molto esperto/a in

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

When he left the stateroom Tarzan himself could not have told that an article in it had been touched since he left it--Paulvitch was a past master in his chosen field.

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Morison was a past master in the art of insidious boasting.

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He was overwhelmed, buried beneath avalanches of punches delivered from every angle and position by a past master in the art.

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He was profoundly versed in hunting and falconry, and had one day when conversing on this great art astonished even Louis XIII himself, who took a pride in being considered a past master therein.

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The chief-justice was not above entering the chamber of council where Mariette held court; he cast the eye of a gastronome around it, and offered the advice of a past master in cookery.

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The hours were long, the work was arduous, despite the fact that we became past masters in the art of eliminating waste motion.

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Our picture shows Bro Johnstone seated with principal speakers Bro John Furlong (left), Past Master of Lodge Bothwell Brig No 1229 who proposed the Immortal Memory, and Bro David Ross, P.M.

Burns supper

The idea for the Coventry Medieval Colouring Book came from Peter Wilford, Past Master of the Guild and the book will contribute towards Coventry's City of Culture bid in 2021.

COLOUR given a spash of HISTORY; NEW BOOK BRINGS MEDIEVAL COVENTRY TO LIFE!

David Kemble, a past master of the City of Cov-entry Freemen, said: "Every apprentice who serves his time with his master or employer and then works for a certain time is eligible.

MANUFACTURING: Coventry honours Dunlop 19

Do we need more family-tree art histories, however ingeniously regrafted their branches, in which the ultimate referent of contemporary art is the work of a past master? A mental melding of Duchamp's erotic objects and his handcrafted readymade duplicates would indeed seem to license the exciting range of part-body, part-commodity creations gathered here.

"Part Object Part Sculpture": Wexner Center for the arts

Deasy is also a past master at kicking the ball out of the park - he could EASILY win a World Cup medal doing it

John Hillcoat: Pamper yourselves lads

After all, she was being asked to carry a first-class, big-budget project, penned by Britain's past master of period TV entertainment, Andrew Davies (Pride and Prejudice and many others).

My life as a Victorian dyke: Tipping the Velvet star Rachael Stirling reveals how she negotiated the nude scenes and strap-ons--and what her mom, Diana Rigg, thinks of it all. (television)