at the wheel
19
4.3
- idiom
:
al mando
- So there was like nobody at the wheel running this country.
- asleep at the wheel
- fall asleep at the wheel
- driver at the wheel
Examples
-
But I never forgot the clear sense of right and wrong that I felt at the wheel of that pedal car.
-
The two cars pull up to the entrance, Henry at the wheel of Rachel's.
Fiction book (1992) -
You know we'll never make that opening with nobody at the wheel.
-
Fortunately for him, my father was too busy at the wheel to notice.
Fiction book (1991) -
The ski boat with Jim at the wheel comes racing straight toward the house.
Fiction book (1998) -
You see a man at the wheel of a medium Dodge.
Fiction book (1994) -
When the cables were secure and tight and Chuckie was at the wheel, Roy gave the motion forward.
Fiction book (1993) -
We drove to Philadelphia in her Saab, with me at the wheel until we reached Locust Street.
Fiction book (1998) -
Red spots Suttle, 35, bright-eyed, with a cowlick, sitting at the wheel of the Chevy truck.
Fiction book (1993) -
During the project, she was truly at the wheel, guiding the team toward success.
Synonyms
39
4.2
In charge of a group or organization
17
4.4
Being in control of a situation and making the decisions
Antonyms
How In Control
- Slang
1
7.8
∞
2.8
- Informal
58
4.1
19
4.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
at + the + wheel
The phrase literally places someone 'at' a 'wheel', which directly suggests being in control of a vehicle; that concrete spatial/control relation lets learners infer the metaphorical meaning 'in charge'. However, the extension from physical steering to abstract leadership (e.g., of a project) is a conventionalized metaphorical use that may not be fully predictable without some exposure, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
The phrase at the wheel comes from the image of a driver or captain holding the wheel to steer a car or ship. So, if someone is at the wheel, they are 'in control' or 'in charge' of the situation.