British cyclist Sir Chris Hoy celebrates winning a gold medal in the London 2012 track cycling men's sprint event. Photo: Sergey Ponomarev
Today's Phrase
A knight in shining armour is traditionally a man who gives help to a woman in distress. Nowadays it is also used to describe anyone who carries out a kind act to help someone in a difficult situation.
For example:
David came to help me when my car broke down - he's my knight in shining armour.
Thank you for bringing me that coffee - you're my knight in shining armour!
I just cannot get this computer to work. I need a knight in shining armour to come and fix it for me.
Don't confuse it with
The word knight refers to a soldier on horseback who wears metal armour. It has the same pronunciation as the word night, which means the opposite of day.
For example:
During the dead of night, a knight rode into the castle to rescue the princess.
Interesting fact
Sir Chris Hoy became the most successful British Olympian of all time this week, after winning gold in the Keirin track cycling event. He has gained six Olympic gold medals over his career and was knighted in 2009 for services to sport.
