be a known quantity
Meaning: To be someone whose character or ability is already understood.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “As a former deputy, she's a known quantity to the voters.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: From mathematics, where a known quantity is a value already given, as opposed to the unknown. The figurative use is common from the 19th century.
Equivalents in other languages
- German: kein unbeschriebenes Blatt sein — literally: to be no blank page
More idioms — Daily Life
- take the rap — To accept blame or punishment, often for someone else.
- you can't win them all — Said to console someone after a small failure.
- right on cue — At exactly the right moment.
- you snooze, you lose — If you are slow to act, someone else will take the chance.
- go off without a hitch — To happen smoothly, with no problems.
- lose one's shirt — To lose all one's money.
More English idioms
- smell a rat — To sense that something dishonest is going on.
- a hard nut to crack — A difficult problem, or a person who is hard to deal with.
- have a finger in every pie — To be involved in many different things at once.
- every little bit helps — Even a small contribution is worth having.
- get the wrong end of the stick — To misunderstand something completely.
- have a bee in one's bonnet — To be obsessed with one idea.