big fat prize
1
3.1
- noun
- Informal
:
gran premio
- Winning that big fat prize completely changed her life overnight.
Examples
-
He dreamed of one day claiming the big fat prize in the national science competition.
-
After months of hard work, the team finally took home the big fat prize.
-
She won a big fat prize for her artwork.
-
Did you hear about the big fat prize at the contest?
-
After winning the championship, he was awarded a big fat prize that included a trophy and cash.
-
The reality show promises a big fat prize for the best performance in the next challenge.
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She exclaimed, 'Winning the contest brought me a big fat prize, which made all my efforts worthwhile!'
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A prize given to someone for achievement or excellence
90
3.7
A large amount of money you win in a game like the lottery
1
3.3
A large extra payment from your job for good work
A very successful event or product that people praise
How Big
- Informal
1
3.1
32
1.0
- Formal
4
2.9
892
1.0
- US
6
3.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
Both 'big' and 'fat' convey largeness or abundance, and their combination functions as a common intensifying pattern (cf. 'big fat lie', 'big fat check') so the meaning 'an especially large or substantial prize' is directly inferable. This compositional, emphatic use is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would understand the intended sense without prior exposure.
Etymology
Big fat prize comes from a simple picture: a prize so big and fat it looks heavy and full of value, like a large, stuffed present. So people use it to mean 'an unusually large or impressive award', often with a bit of humor.