low on the totem pole
2
7.6
- idiom
- Informal
:
de bajo rango
- As a new intern, she realized she was low on the totem pole and had a lot to learn from others.
Jose was too low on the totem pole to take the heat for it had to be Cofer.
- Jose was too low on the totem pole to take the heat for it had to be Cofer.
Examples
-
Currently, the Mexican teams are left to negotiate their TV contracts independently, which severely hampers the teams lower on the totem pole.
Blog text (33) -
Even though he started low on the totem pole in the company, he quickly worked his way up.
-
l was the lowest on the totem pole, and no one was taking me seriously.
-
Just shocked to see what folks lower on the totem pole were doing.
Blog text (23) -
And I don't care how low on the totem pole I start, I will get it back...
Fiction book (2000) -
Jose was too low on the totem pole to take the heat for it had to be Cofer.
-
I find it particularly insulting that someone could so arbitrarily place me that low on the totem pole.
Blog text (21) -
He is unaware that, being the newest guy on the block, he is lowest on the totem pole.
Blog text (28) -
As a character, he's low on the totem pole in terms of popularity; so selling him on the heels of his comic roots was always going to be tough.
Blog text (14) -
In her new job, she felt low on the totem pole, especially compared to her more experienced colleagues.
Synonyms
260
1.3
Having little social rank or importance
46
4.2
A person of low rank or importance, for example a servant
28
4.7
Someone treated as less important and given fewer rights or benefits
25
3.3
A position with little power in an organization
1
3.8
A person who has a less important job or less power in an organization
To be in a lower social or work position and have other people treat you as less important
Antonyms
How Important
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase partially signals lowered position because 'low' + 'on' and the image of being on a pole suggest a lower physical placement, which can extend metaphorically to status. However, 'totem pole' as a culturally specific object used to index social position is idiomatic and may be unfamiliar or non-salient to many B1 learners, so the exact sense 'low status/rank' is not fully predictable from the parts.
Etymology
Low on the totem pole may come from tall carved totem poles that show people or animals stacked one above another. Being low on the pole means you are near the bottom, so the phrase now means 'having low rank or status'.