big cheese
big cheese
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
| big cheese | |
| —n | |
| slang an important person | |
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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| Main Entry: | big cheese |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | a very important or influential person, esp. the head of an organization; also called big wheel |
| Usage: | slang |
big cheese definition
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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big cheese
Also, big shot or gun or wheel or enchilada. An important, powerful person; the boss. For example, She loved being the big cheese of her company; the big guns in Congress are bound to change the President's bill; you'd better not act like a big shot among your old friends; Harry was the big wheel in his class; and You'll have to get permission from the big enchilada. The first term dates from the late 1800s and its origin is disputed. Some think it comes from the Urdu word chiz or cheez for "thing," but others hold it plays on the English word "chief." Big gun is much older, dating from the early 1800s; big shot became very popular in the late 1920s, particularly when used for underworld leaders of gangsters; big wheel dates from about the same period. Big enchilada, often put as the big enchilada, is the newest, dating from the early 1970s.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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