If you wear something lightly, then you don't show it off. For example,
- You don't become president without clawing your way into the Oval Office, but voters prefer pols like JFK, Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama who wear their ambition lightly. (source) (they don't draw attention to their ambition)
- I don’t always wear my knowledge lightly. I like learning, and I like passing on that knowledge. (source) (I don't always keep quiet about what I know, I like to share it)
So, "Professor Furia wears his learning lightly" means he doesn't flaunt it, he doesn't look like a know-it-all. Rather, "he deploys it to great effect", which means he takes advantage of his strength.
Answer from Enguroo on Stack ExchangeOxford Learner's Dictionaries
oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definition › english › wear_1
wear verb - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com
[transitive] (usually used in questions and negative sentences) wear something (British English, informal) to accept or allow something, especially something that you do not approve of
Oxford English Dictionary
oed.com › dictionary › wear_v1
wear, v.¹ meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary
wear has developed meanings and uses in subjects including · costume (Old English) animals (Old English) heraldry (Old English) weaponry (Old English) agriculture (early 1500s) nautical (mid 1500s) perfumery (late 1500s) military (1920s)
Videos
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries
oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definition › english › wear_2
wear noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com
Word OriginOld English werian, of Germanic origin, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin vestis ‘clothing’. ... The insurance policy does not cover damage caused by normal wear and tear. The living-room carpet has to stand up to the combined wear and tear of two dogs and three children. More Like This Rhyming pairs in idiomsRhyming pairs in idioms ... He arrived home at two in the morning, much the worse for wear. See wear in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee wear in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Top answer 1 of 2
4
If you wear something lightly, then you don't show it off. For example,
- You don't become president without clawing your way into the Oval Office, but voters prefer pols like JFK, Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama who wear their ambition lightly. (source) (they don't draw attention to their ambition)
- I don’t always wear my knowledge lightly. I like learning, and I like passing on that knowledge. (source) (I don't always keep quiet about what I know, I like to share it)
So, "Professor Furia wears his learning lightly" means he doesn't flaunt it, he doesn't look like a know-it-all. Rather, "he deploys it to great effect", which means he takes advantage of his strength.
2 of 2
3
This sounds metaphorical to me. I read it as if it's treating 'learning' like it were 'clothes'. Something you figuratively wear.
Like heart in the idiomatic phrase to wear your heart on your sleeve.
Merriam-Webster
merriam-webster.com › dictionary › wear
WEAR Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
to bear or have on the person; to use habitually for clothing, adornment, or assistance; to carry on the person… See the full definition
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries
oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › us › definition › english › wore
wore - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com
Practical English Usage · Learn ... tense of wear · Homophones war | worewar wore · /wɔː(r)/ /wɔːr/ war noun · It's in memory of the soldiers who gave their lives during the war....
Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary › english › wear
WEAR | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary
WEAR meaning: 1. to have clothing, jewellery, etc. on your body: 2. to show a particular emotion on your face…. Learn more.
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries
oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definition › english › wearing
wearing adjective - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com
Definition of wearing adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
Collins Dictionary
collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english › wear
WEAR definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
18 meanings: 1. to carry or have (a garment, etc) on one's person as clothing, ornament, etc 2. to carry or have on one's.... Click for more definitions.
Published March 26, 2018
Longman
ldoceonline.com › dictionary › wear
wear | meaning of wear in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English | LDOCE
He wore glasses for reading.wear a seat belt (=have it around yourself)wear black/white/red etc Usually I wear black, grey, or brown.wear something to a party/a dance/an interview etc I’m wearing a scarlet dress to the party.► see thesaurus at dressRegisterIn everyday English, people often say that someone has something on rather than is wearing something:She had on a black silk dress.
Dictionary.com
dictionary.com › browse › wear
WEAR Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
WEAR definition: to carry or have on the body or about the person as a covering, equipment, ornament, or the like. See examples of wear used in a sentence.
Vocabulary.com
vocabulary.com › dictionary › wear
Wear - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com
To wear means to clothe, or be covered by. You wear suits to interviews and sweats to the gym.
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries
oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definition › english › wear-on
wear on phrasal verb - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com
Definition of wear on phrasal verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
Reverso
dictionary.reverso.net › english-definition › wear
WEAR - Definition & Meaning - Reverso English Dictionary
wear definition: use or have on the body as clothing or adornment. Check meanings, examples, usage tips, pronunciation, domains, and related words. Discover expressions like "wear down", "wear out", "wear through".
Gymglish
gymglish.com › homepage › online english lessons › vocabulary - learn english with gymglish › wear
Wear meaning in English - Definition
TEST YOUR ENGLISH Free trial and no commitment to buy · 4,7 on App Store, Play Store and Trustpilot More than 8 million learners worldwide · to wear: to be dressed in, to be clothed in, to dress verb
ThoughtCo
thoughtco.com › ware-wear-and-where-1689526
Ware, Wear, and Where: How to Choose the Right Word
September 4, 2019 - The commonly confused words "ware," "wear," and "where" are homophones, although some people pronounce "where" with a slight puff of air at the beginning. The three are different parts of speech—noun, verb, and adverb, respectively—and have three very different meanings. While the noun ware has a couple of obscure meanings in English ("seaweed" and "object of care"), the most common definition in American English usage is "merchandise."
Etymonline
etymonline.com › word › wear
Wear - Etymology, Origin & Meaning
"be clad or dressed in; carry or bear on the body for warmth, decency, ornament, etc.,"… See origin and meaning of wear.
Oxford English Dictionary
oed.com › dictionary › wore_v2
wore, v.² meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary
See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence. This word is now obsolete. It is only recorded in the mid 1700s.
Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary › learner-english › wear
WEAR | definition in the Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary
WEAR meaning: 1. to have a piece of clothing, jewellery, etc on your body: 2. to show a particular emotion on…. Learn more.
Wiktionary
en.wiktionary.org › wiki › wear
wear - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
To have or carry on one's person habitually, consistently; or, to maintain in a particular fashion or manner. He wears eyeglasses.