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get above oneself

beppo

Senior Member
Italian
Have you ever heard "get above oneself" for being "arrogant,stuck-up,uppish or too big for one's britches(or boots) ? In Italy we usually say "montarsi la testa". Thanks to all AE and BE speakers for being always very helpful and patient !
I think i have heard it but only very rarely, it's not common at all. You are much more likely to hear 'to get too big for one's boots' or 'to be up oneself' - the latter is a very common but quite vulgar. There is also the expression 'to have ideas above one's station', meaning that somebody thinks that they are more important than they are. This is quite an old-fashioned expression though, but is still heard on occasion.
Can you say that one is a "big-head" ?
Hi

An expression that comes close is "to be full of oneself."

But, yes, you can say that someone has a big head or is 'self-important.'
The W-M Learner's Dictionary says:

get above yourself
chiefly Brit : to think you are more important than you really are
- We are pleased by his success, but we worry that he might be getting above himself.
​
The Cambridge International Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs says:

get above yourself
mainly British
to behave as if you are better than other people
- She's really getting above herself since she got that promotion. [usually in continuous tenses]
​
The definitions here are a little different, I think. One is "than you really are" and the other is "than other people." Which do you think is a better definition?
I think they both work, Ume: they're two sides of the same coin.
Thank you, Loob.
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