bright spark

English

Noun

bright spark (plural bright sparks)

1. (colloquial, idiomatic, often ironic) A person who is intelligent, clever or quick-witted.

   John's youngest is doing well at school. He's a bright spark, isn't he?

   • 2004, David Robinson, An Expat's Life, Luxembourg & the White Rose, page 193:

     At some point the subject got onto sex and some bright spark decided it would be a good idea if I lost my virginity that night. I was not too keen on the idea as I was knackered and exceedingly pissed.

Translations

a clever person

• French: tête (fr) f, flèche (fr) f
• German: Blitzmerker m, Schnellchecker m
• Maori: pūrātoke
• Swedish: ljushuvud (sv) n

See also

• clever clogs
• smart cookie

References

• “bright spark”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.