number one with a bullet
2
9.3
- idiom
- Literature
- Number one with a bullet.
Examples
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If I was one of them ofays, I'd be number one with a bullet by now.
-
And back at number one with a bullet, no surprises there, is Boo, Lloyd, the remix.
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And straight in at number one with a bullet.
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- It's Number One With A Bullet.
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Number one with a bullet.
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Number one with a bullet.
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We're number one with a bullet, baby, comin'to you!
-
For the first time, Tracy Turnblad is number one with a bullet.
-
On the Interpol Hit Parade, Wolfgang is number one with a bullet.
Fiction book (1992) -
The latest single by the band skyrocketed to number one with a bullet on the music charts.
Synonyms
∞
1.7
The first and most important person or thing in a list
79
4.1
A person most likely to win a contest or election
45
3.5
Holding the first position in a game or race
6
2.5
An option many people prefer
5
6.7
A person who is best in a group or class
5
4.6
The most important position with the highest priority
Antonyms
How Leading
Surface Forms
Morphology
number + one + with + a + bullet
The component 'number one' clearly denotes the top ranking, but 'with a bullet' is an idiomatic/charting metaphor (originally marking rapidly rising hits) that does not follow the literal sense of 'bullet' as a projectile. A B1 learner who knows the words would likely guess it refers to being top-ranked but would not reliably infer the idiomatic nuance of a decisive or fast-rising favorite, so the expression is only partly predictable.
Etymology
Number one with a bullet comes from old music charts that used a small bullet mark next to songs that jumped quickly to number one. One popular story says that mark showed a sure, fast rise, so the phrase now means 'an undisputed leader' or a clear favorite.