diamond in the rough

plural diamonds in the rough

1. An uncut diamond.

   He wants to go try his luck at that state park in Arkansas where you can look for diamonds in the rough and you can keep what you find.

   2 more examples

   They all wanted money, and they all wanted to get away from that God-forsaken hole. Diamonds they were after? Well, he could take them to a place at the other end of the world where there were enough diamonds in the rough to make them all rich for life.

   1922, Arthur J. Rees, chapter XXVIII, in The Moon Rock

   Often the inclusions can be cut out of a diamond in the rough. After seeing what shape and size best suits the rough diamond, the craftsman will begin to make his cuts.

   2009, Cindy Lasiter, Diamonds in the Rough, Xulon Press, →ISBN, page xi

   Synonyms: rough diamond

2. figurativelyA person or thing whose goodness or other positive qualities are hidden by a harsh or unremarkable surface appearance.

   Her auto mechanic is a diamond in the rough: tough-talking but honest, even generous.

   1 more example

   You must tell me, if you can, that Mr. Hattersley is better than he seems—that he is upright, honourable, and open-hearted—in fact, a perfect diamond in the rough.

   1848, Anne Brontë, chapter XXV, in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

   Synonyms: rough diamond