Reader question: "He's a class act." What does that mean?

My comments: It means he's an excellent person. How excellent? That depends on context.

A person who's seen by others as a "class act" usually demonstrates some unique good qualities and those qualities are found in context. That is, a sentence like "he's a class act" seldom stands on its own. It must be followed or preceded by explanations.

Yes, and that's the good part of the English language. English, you see, is explanatory, sentences explain each other. While a sentence like "he's a rascal²" can perfectly³ stand on its own footing in Chinese conversations (with no explanation given about that person's rascal behavior), it can never stand alone in English, that is, without risking sounding like an ass¹. In Chinese, of course, if you give only conclusions and never explain what you mean by what you say, rather than diminishing your credibility, this practice might even give you an extra aura of profundity⁴.

Joking aside, "class act" is an American idiom pointing to somebody possessing some outstanding qualities. Do you notice the "class" distinction in it? Somebody who's described as a "class act" often shows "class" (style). He is probably "in a class of his own" (peerless) and "a hard act to follow" (inimitable), using other American idioms.

Without further ado, let's examine some of the qualities of "a class act" through context (explanations following each example, in brackets, are mine):

1. He (Yao Ming) is a class act in every way, and a credit to China. He is as beloved in Houston as he is in his home town of Shanghai.

- McClatchy Blog: China Rises, washingtonbureau.typepad.com, June 29, 2008.

(Yao is good altogether.)

2. "I think in the end, when South Dakota and Montana go last and have their final result, she (Hilary Clinton) will sit back and see whether a win can be achieved or not — and if not, she is a class act and will do the class thing and get on board with the Democratic ticket," said Jay Jacobs, a Democratic leader on Long Island and a superdelegate and top fund-raiser for Mrs. Clinton.

- Clinton Still Sees Plenty of Reasons to Press Her Campaign, The New York Times, May 21, 2008.

(In other words, she will be gracious in defeat and continue to help the Democratic cause.)

3. I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with Muhammad Ali, in person, one on one. What a great, generous and kind person. He didn't have to speak to me, or walk up to me. He saw me take his picture in a crowded airport in 1986. He walked across the concourse and spoke⁵ with me, asked if I had gotten a good enough shot, and let me take another. What a class act!

- Digg.com.

(There's only one Ali – So much humanity in a boxer⁶ who lives by knocking people down.)

4. America is a class act

The US regards itself as the ultimate meritocracy, but social mobility⁷ is as feeble as Europe's - and declining

Comment by Gary Younge, The Guardian⁸, January 27, 2003.

(Oops! That is a word play, meaning class distinction is alive in America.)