past master

American  

noun

1. a person who is thoroughly experienced or exceptionally skilled in a profession, art, etc..

   a past master at chess.

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

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past master British  

noun

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

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past master Idioms  

1. A person who is thoroughly experienced or exceptionally skilled in some activity or craft. For example, We're lucky to get Ella, because she's a past master at fundraising. This expression probably alludes to the original literal meaning, that is, one who formerly held the post of master in a lodge or other organization. Although past mistress was used for an exceptionally skilled woman in the mid-1800s, it is heard less often today, master serving for both sexes. [Mid-1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of past master

First recorded in 1755–65

Example Sentences

Besieged on all sides, Mr. Lee is a past master at playing to public emotions.

From Washington Times • Sep. 22, 2023

And he is a past master at getting himself fit for the second week at Roland Garros.

From BBC • Dec. 28, 2022

He is a past master at laying off his debts as well as his moral responsibilities.

From Salon • Nov. 12, 2022

In Bologna, he finds a grizzled character — played by Nick Nolte, a past master in this department — who’s protecting a film archive and maintaining a bicycle-and-hand-crank-operated projector.

From New York Times • Dec. 16, 2021

I became a past master on the parallel bars and excelled at physical jerks;—we have trembled at the mere sound of his voice, but his runaway post-horse never got the better of us.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque