[General] He is "quite a character" OR "quite the character" ?

[euromike]

Hi - can you please explain which sounds more natural, or perhaps whether there is a difference in meanings between the two usages?
Same goes for other similar expressions, e.g. "he's quite a/the catch", "he's quite a/the player" (lady's man) etc.
Or, to quote a native speaker, this headline : "Madoff boasts he is “quite the celebrity” in prison" (why not "quite A celebrity" ?)

 

[MikeNewYork]

In those constructions, the use of "a" implies "one of a number of similar individuals". The use of "the" implies that the individual is a better something than most.

 

[Rover_KE]

I see little, if any, difference between 'a' and 'the' in that type of expression.

 

[Raymott]

My opinion is similar to Mike's. I find the use of 'the' tends to mean that he is a prototypical example of the species, "the compleat lady's man", not necessarily superior in everything to others.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compleat