hidden gems

Meaning

1. 1nounpluralapprovingfigurative

   Places, things or people of high quality that most people do not yet know about.

   Grammar: Used for several things; for one, say a hidden gem: this cafe is a hidden gem.

   Patterns

   • one of the hidden gems of somewhere
   • discover hidden gems

   The guidebook lists a dozen hidden gems in the old town.

   We love finding hidden gems when we travel, away from the tourist crowds.

   The little bakery behind the station is one of the town's best hidden gems.

Word forms

Common combinations

discover hidden gems

We spent the weekend discovering hidden gems in the countryside.

uncover hidden gems

The magazine aims to uncover hidden gems in the local food scene.

local hidden gems

Ask the owner about local hidden gems.

one of the city's hidden gems

This museum is one of the city's hidden gems.

a real hidden gem

The film turned out to be a real hidden gem.

hidden gems of the region

The hidden gems of the region include a tiny lake and a medieval chapel.

Synonyms and how they differ

best-kept secrets

Best-kept secrets stresses that insiders deliberately keep quiet about something good, while hidden gems simply says it is little known.

undiscovered treasures

Undiscovered treasures sounds more poetic and suggests real value waiting to be found.

sleeper hits

Sleeper hits is for films, shows or products that became successful unexpectedly, not for places.

off-the-beaten-track spots

Off-the-beaten-track spots describe remote locations specifically, while hidden gems can be anything.

Opposites

Word family

gem noun

a precious stone, or something excellent

hidden adjective

not easily seen or known

hide verb

to put out of sight

gemstone noun

a precious stone

Commonly confused: hidden gems or hidden treasure?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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