high on the totem pole
- idiom
- Informal
:
en una posición alta
- As project leader, Maria is high on the totem pole and makes important decisions.
Examples
-
Those high on the totem pole often receive extra perks and recognition.
-
Being high on the totem pole has its advantages.
-
Even though he just started, he already feels high on the totem pole at his new job.
-
She is high on the totem pole at her company.
-
As project leader, Maria is high on the totem pole and makes important decisions.
-
Those high on the totem pole often receive extra perks and recognition.
-
Even though he just started, he feels high on the totem pole at his new job.
Synonyms
46
4.2
A person who has an important senior job in an organization
21
4.6
A person with the most power in a group
13
4.2
Having more power than other people in an organization
5
7.1
A person with an important job in an organization
4
4.2
A person with more power in a company or group
3
4.6
The most important position with the highest priority
2
4.4
A person or group who is top and most powerful after a competition
1
7.5
A person who is in charge of a group and makes the main decisions
1
7.8
A situation when one person or group has more power and influence
1
5.5
The highest job or status in a company
1
5.6
The highest level of success in a job or field
Having more power or influence than others
The highest and hardest job to get in politics or business
Antonyms
How Important
- Informal
533
4.5
99
2.4
- Informal
2
7.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
high + on + the + totem + pole
The parts 'high' and 'on ... pole' transparently signal a vertical position, so a learner who recognises 'totem pole' as a vertical carved monument might infer that being 'high' means prominence. However, the association of vertical placement on a totem pole with status is a culture-specific metaphor (and many B1 learners may not know or recognise 'totem'/'totem pole'), so the full idiomatic sense is not fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
High on the totem pole comes from the image of a totem pole, a tall carved post with figures stacked one above the other, where the figures near the top were seen as more important. That's why being high on the totem pole means 'having a higher position, power, or status'.