breath of fresh air
Something relieving, refreshing, or new.
After all those old policies and procedures, the new management approach is a breath of fresh air around here.
VERBS
be, look, smell, taste
stay
The lettuce will stay fresh in the refrigerator for about a week.
eat sth, have sth
We always have fresh bread for breakfast on Sunday mornings.
keep sth
Store the vegetables in a cool place to keep them fresh for several days.
ADV
really, very | quite
PHRASES
lovely/nice (and) fresh
The baker pulled out a lovely fresh baguette from the oven this morning.
adj
Newly produced or obtained; recent.
He followed the fresh hoofprints to find the deer.
I seem to make fresh mistakes every time I start writing.
Of food, not dried, frozen, or spoiled.
After taking a beating in the boxing ring, the left side of his face looked like fresh meat.
I brought home from the market a nice bunch of fresh spinach leaves straight from the farm.
Of plant material, still green and not dried.
With fresh material, taxonomic conclusions are leavened by recognition that the material examined reflects the site it occupied; a herbarium packet gives one only a small fraction of the data desirable for sound conclusions. Herbarium material does not, indeed, allow one to extrapolate safely: what you see is what you get[…]
Invigoratingly cool and refreshing.
What a nice fresh breeze.
The corridor stinks of sweat and cigarette smoke, and I daringly open the window a little. The freshest air floats in, smelling of sappy grasses, the delicate pollens of wild flowers, the resins of the pine forests; hinting at the chill blue scent of distant snows.
Of water, without salt; not saline.
After a day at sea it was good to feel the fresh water of the stream.
There we made our ſhip faſt with foure ropes, in ſmooth water, and the freſh water ranne downe out of the hill into the ſea, […]
adv
Recently; just recently; most recently.
We are fresh out of milk.
Hell of a surprise in the seventh season premiere of Game Of Thrones. Arya Stark, fresh off a nigh Cersei-level ambush of the Frey household, comes upon a small campfire surrounded by fresh-faced red cloaks.
noun
A rush of water, along a river or onto the land; a flood.
They went on very well with their work until it was nigh done, when there came the second epistle to Noah's fresh, and away went their mill, shot, lock, and barrel.
A stream or spring of fresh water.
[…]And take his bottle from him. / When that's gone, / He shall drink naught but brine, for I'll not show him / Where the quick freshes are.
The mingling of fresh water with salt in rivers or bays, as by means of a flood of fresh water flowing toward or into the sea.
When they cross any great Water, or violent Fresh, or Torrent, they throw Tobacco, Puccoon, Peak, or some other valuable thing, that they happen to have about there, to intreat the Spirit presiding there, to grant them a safe passage. It is call'd a Fresh, when after very great Rains, or (as we suppose) after a great Thaw of the Snow and Ice lying upon the Mountains Page 43 to the North West, the Water descends, in such abundance into the Rivers, that they overflow the Banks which bound their Streams at other times.
adjective — not yet used or soiled
adjective — not containing or composed of salt water
adjective — imparting vitality and energy
adjective — free from impurities
adjective — not soured or preserved
adjective — with restored energy
Something relieving, refreshing, or new.
After all those old policies and procedures, the new management approach is a breath of fresh air around here.
Newly arrived from a foreign place, especially as an immigrant who is still unfamiliar with the customs and language of their new environment.
You were fresh off the boat from Virginia / I had a year in New York City under my belt / We met in a dream, we were both nineteen
A substitute who has yet to play in the match, and therefore has more energy than those already on the field.
The tired France were unable to break down the German defence, so they brought on some fresh legs.
Of someone who has recently left one stage of life to begin another.
That boy was one of the new draft, fresh out of boot camp, and yet it was his duty to pass messages upon which the fate of a battle might depend.
A new beginning, without prejudices.
After the past disputes between the two countries, both sides decided to make a fresh start by agreeing to trade with each other again.
He followed the fresh hoofprints to find the deer.
WiktionaryI seem to make fresh mistakes every time I start writing.
WiktionaryWith his recent divorce still fresh in his mind, he was unable to concentrate on his work.
WiktionaryWe are fresh out of milk.
WiktionaryHell of a surprise in the seventh season premiere of Game Of Thrones. Arya Stark, fresh off a nigh Cersei-level ambush of the Frey household, comes upon a small campfire surrounded by fresh-faced red
WiktionaryThey went on very well with their work until it was nigh done, when there came the second epistle to Noah's fresh, and away went their mill, shot, lock, and barrel.
Wiktionaryi Register
In some senses, fresh is marked as idiomatic. Watch for register when choosing this word.