blowing the trumpet

Meanings

1. 1phraseidiomfigurativedisapproving

   Talking proudly and publicly about your own successes or good qualities in a way that annoys others.

   Grammar: Used as a continuous action; the full idiom is 'blow your own trumpet'.

   Patterns

   • be blowing your own trumpet
   • blow your own trumpet about something
   • without blowing your own trumpet

   He keeps blowing his own trumpet about how many deals he closed last month.

   She got the promotion without blowing her own trumpet once.

   I don't like blowing my own trumpet, but the report was entirely my work.

2. 2phraseidiom

   Literally playing a trumpet by forcing air through it, or making a sound like one.

   Grammar: The literal sense; here 'the trumpet' means a specific instrument.

   Patterns

   • be blowing the trumpet
   • blow the trumpet loudly

   The boy in the front row was blowing the trumpet far too hard.

   You could hear someone blowing the trumpet in the street below.

Common combinations

blow your own trumpet

He is not shy about blowing his own trumpet at meetings.

without blowing your own trumpet

Without blowing my own trumpet, I think I handled it well.

blow the trumpet for something

The whole team was blowing the trumpet for the new product.

Synonyms and how they differ

boast

'Boast' is a plain verb for talking proudly about yourself, while 'blowing your own trumpet' is the informal image-based idiom.

brag

'Brag' is more negative and often about beating others; the trumpet idiom focuses on self-praise.

show off

'Show off' is about displaying skills or possessions, not necessarily talking about your achievements.

Opposites

Word family

trumpet noun

a brass instrument you blow to make a loud, bright sound

trumpeter noun

a person who plays the trumpet

Commonly confused: blowing the trumpet or toot your own horn?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “blowing the trumpet”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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