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I am wondering what standard phrase or idiom expresses that one's skill or talent in a particular area has not decayed through the passage of time.

I believe a related idiom is, "[the person] has not skipped a beat", but I have a strange feeling that this is not the "standard" English expression for this use case. Indeed, I suppose "skipped a beat" does not express the time component above, merely that the person's ability is flawless.

Example sentence: Lieutenant Columbo is a real sleuth. Despite his advancing years, he never skips a beat.

RosterPantyhose
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14 Answers14

44

He's still got it.

He hasn't lost his touch.

justhalf
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Old Brixtonian
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    "hasn't lost his touch" is a good suggestion, but the answer would benefit from linking to a reference such as https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lose%20one%27s%20touch – Stuart F Nov 11 '21 at 11:02
  • Yes, @Stuart F. I should have added that. Thanks. – Old Brixtonian Nov 11 '21 at 23:04
10

He's still at the top of his game.

at the top of (one's) game

At one's best or most skillful.

I can't believe I got the hardest question right. I'm really at the top of my game today!

I think their quarterback is at the top of his game this year—I doubt he'll be able to replicate these stellar stats next season.

From "The Free Dictionary."

Also see here.

Chaim
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7

"You haven't lost a step"

Amorphous Blob
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    Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please [edit] to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center. – Community Nov 10 '21 at 21:12
7

You still got your chops is what I hear.

John Lawler
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5

I think you may have heard this one:

[the person] hasn't slipped a bit.

It sounds similar, and be slipping is in the dictionary:

3.1 (be slipping) informal Be behaving in a way that is not up to one's usual level of performance.

‘you're slipping, Joe—you need a vacation’

[Lexico]

5

There's life in the old dog yet

This has a hint of skill not being expected by a younger cohort.

Can still cut it with the best of them

which I guess relates to another fine idiom: "cutting the mustard" meaning up to a high standard.

drekbour
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4

The opposite of 'My footballing skills are rather rusty' is shown in the saying

  • Time hasn't dulled his ability to bend a ball into the top corner of the net.

Both use the 'sharpness [/dullness] represents retention [/loss] of proficiency, whether mental acuity or physical skill' metaphor.

Edwin Ashworth
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4

"The old lion still roars" may be a good fit. Used as a metaphor, it's self-explanatory.

Centaurus
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    Never heard this in the US, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's a common metaphor in Africa. – Barmar Nov 11 '21 at 15:35
  • @Barmar I never said it's a common saying or proverb. Just a metaphor, and metaphors are not necessarily common. ok? – Centaurus Nov 12 '21 at 13:20
4

If it's a mental skill (usually around perceptiveness or quick thinking), you can say someone is "as sharp as ever". For a mental or physical skill, you can say "he hasn't lost his edge".

Edwin remarked that sharpness can apply to a physical or mental skill, but that's not exactly true. You can say a physical skill has not dulled, but you probably wouldn't say someone is "sharp" to refer to physical skill.

(My perspective is as a native American English speaker.)

piojo
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3

A skill a person never loses is like riding a bike. Another expression for this is, “[as] good as ever [at something].”

Davislor
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1

The phrase"pack a punch" combined with still is used in that sense.

Lexico:

pack a punch
PHRASE

1.1 Have a powerful effect.

‘He may be approaching 80, but the former cabinet minister and idol of the hard left still packs a punch.’

alwayslearning
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0

Better than ever.

Well, you're either coming, or going.

Logically speaking, a diminished capacity is worse, so, the opposite is better. (No, holding ones own isn't the opposite of diminished.)

G. Rem laughs at the MonicaC's
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  • May I down-vote the person(s) who wants to delete this answer? – G. Rem laughs at the MonicaC's Nov 12 '21 at 03:43
  • No, you may not. – Stian Nov 12 '21 at 10:41
  • I don't know the reason that people are so easily offended or whatever in here. I bet that it was @Edwin Ashworth. Doesn't seem to like me, and, he's at 66.6k points, ha. P.S. I keep getting "penalized" for down-voting in threads in which he replied. Down-votes that had nothing to do with him personally, and, which I thought were fair and warranted. Anyway, I'm not going to worry about it. – G. Rem laughs at the MonicaC's Nov 12 '21 at 10:51
  • That's not how it works. Anyone can down or up vote for any reason, however it is usually for prioritizing among the answers the voter thinks are most relevant. It is just a downvote. – Stian Nov 12 '21 at 10:53
  • I lost 1 point each for down-voting four times, yesterday. When I click on the lost point in the trophy-icon section, it brings me to a post that I down-voted. Must have been someone with over 10k points or something. Anyway, I rarely down-vote posts. – G. Rem laughs at the MonicaC's Nov 12 '21 at 11:14
  • @G.Rem: unlike upvotes which are “free”, downvotes on answers are penalized by 1 point. – jmoreno Nov 13 '21 at 15:14
  • I think that you are right. I just down-voted another answer, and, right away, I lost another point. Next, I tried to undo the down-vote, but, it shot up to an up-vote. No way to get back to no-vote? Anyway, next thing I noticed was a +1 in the trophy-box, but, the +1 didn't register in my score. Perhaps, it's a delayed +1. Could a poster keep up-voting his down-votes? No, that doesn't work either. Anyway, I'm not going to be lulled into years of posting on any internet forum. You'd have to be pretty darn lonely, missing something in life, to end up that way. – G. Rem laughs at the MonicaC's Nov 13 '21 at 15:46
-1

You can describe a person whose skill/talent hasn't declined over time as ageless:

not growing old or showing the effects of age

For example, you can find many articles out there describing Tom Brady (the NFL quarterback who is still playing well at age 44) as "ageless" or an "ageless wonder".

pacoverflow
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    I read "ageless" (and "timeless") to infer "applicable to any period of time" as opposed to "not waning over time". The cited Tom Brady usage feels like a headline reaching just too far for that single-adjective summary. Is that just me? – drekbour Nov 11 '21 at 18:49
-3

Real Tom Brady

  1. He's a real Tom Brady.

  2. Wow, looks like we got ourselves a real Tom Brady over here.

  3. Now I'm the real Tom Brady, all these other Tom Brady's are just imitating...

Joemoor94
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