break the mould

break the mold

To do something in a new way. She really broke the mold with her innovative approach to this notification system—several companies have since adopted her method.See also: break, mold

break the mould

COMMON If someone or something breaks the mould, they completely change the way something has traditionally been done, and do it in a new way. Note: The `mould' in these expressions is a container that is used to make something into a particular shape. Soft or liquid substances are put into the mould, and when they harden they form objects with the shape or pattern of the mould. His ambition is to create a third party and break the mould of US two-party politics. Together, these alternative, left-wing comics broke the British comedy mould in the late Seventies. Note: The verbs shatter and crack are sometimes used instead of break. These people shattered the mould of South African politics. Note: You can use mould-breaking to describe someone or something that completely changes the way something has traditionally been done. Later that year, he launched a mould-breaking wine business. Note: You can use mould-breaker to describe someone who has done something in a completely new way or something that has been done in a completely new way. As the first female partner in one of Scotland's top 10 legal firms, she was something of a mould-breaker in the legal world. The lifestyle magazine he launched in 1994 was a mould-breaker and a commercial success.See also: break, mould

break the mould

put an end to a pattern of events or behaviour, especially one that has become rigid and restrictive, by doing things in a markedly different way. Originally this phrase referred to casting artefacts in moulds: destroying a mould ensured that no further identical examples could be produced. The expression became a catchphrase in Britain in the early 1980s with the foundation of the Social Democratic Party. Its founders promoted the party as breaking the ‘out-of-date mould’ of British politics, a phrase used by Roy Jenkins in a speech in 1980 .See also: break, mould

break the ˈmould (of something)

(British English) (American English break the ˈmold (of something)) change what people expect from a situation, especially by acting in a dramatic and original way: After a string of defeats, he finally broke the mould by getting through to the semi-finals of a major competition.A mould/mold is a container that you pour a liquid or soft substance into, which then becomes solid in the same shape as the container.See also: break, mould