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Bigwig
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Some expressions describe people who are important, or at least who think
they are. One such expression is, 
.
In the seventeenth century, important men in Europe began to wear false hair,
called wigs. As years passed, wigs began to get bigger. The size of a man's wig
depended on how important he was. The more important he was -- or thought he was
-- the bigger the wig he wore. Some wigs were so large they covered a man's
shoulders or back.
Today, the expression is used to make fun of a person
who feels important. People never tell someone he is a bigwig. They only use the
expression behind his back.
is another way to describe an important person. A
big wheel may be the head of a company, a political leader, a famous movie star. They
are big wheels because they are powerful. What they do affects many persons. Big
wheels give the orders. Other people carry them out. As in many machines, a big
wheel makes the little wheels turn.
Big wheel became a popular expression after World War Two. It probably comes
from an expression used for many years by people who fix parts of
cars and trucks. They said a person if he was important and
had influence.
The top of something is the highest part. So it is not surprising that top is
part of another expression that describes an important person. The expression
is, . A top banana is the leading person in a comedy
show. The funniest comedian is called the top banana. The next is second banana. And
so on.
Why a banana? A comedy act in earlier days often included a part where one of
the comedians would hit the others over the head with a soft object. The object was shaped like a yellow fruit: the banana.
Top banana still is used mainly in show business. Yet the expression also can
be used to describe the top person in any area.
A is another word for an important person. The
expression comes from the game of bowling. The kingpin is the number one pin. If
hit correctly with the bowling ball, the kingpin will make all the other nine
pins fall. And that is the object of the game.
So, the most important person in a project or business is the kingpin. If
the kingpin is removed, the business or project is likely to fail.
Kingpin is often used to describe an important criminal, or the leader of a
criminal gang. A newspaper may report, for example, that police have arrested
the suspected kingpin of a car-stealing operation.
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. is used to make fun of a person
who feels important. People never tell someone he is a bigwig. They only use the
expression behind his back. is another way to describe an important person. A
big wheel may be the head of a company, a political leader, a famous movie star. They
are big wheels because they are powerful. What they do affects many persons. Big
wheels give the orders. Other people carry them out. As in many machines, a big
wheel makes the little wheels turn. if he was important and
had influence. . A top banana is the leading person in a comedy
show. The funniest comedian is called the top banana. The next is second banana. And
so on. is another word for an important person. The
expression comes from the game of bowling. The kingpin is the number one pin. If
hit correctly with the bowling ball, the kingpin will make all the other nine
pins fall. And that is the object of the game.