be a one

English

Verb

be a one (third-person singular simple present is a one, present participle being a one, simple past was a one, past participle been a one)

1. (UK, dated, informal) To be amusing in a slightly challenging way.

See also

• one of a kind

Further reading

• “you are he is a one” in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman.
• “be a one”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.