big daddy
16
8.1
- noun
- /bɪɡ ˈdædi/
- Slang
- Ah, the big daddy of Windows RT tablets.
Examples
-
Not to mention the big daddy of them all, defense contractors like Haliburton that also receive corporate welfare in the form of no-bid contracts and two wars.
Blog text (12) -
During the meeting, everyone looked to the big daddy of the project for guidance and direction.
-
They call me the "big daddy of punk."
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The big daddy of them all, of course, is Stephen Hawking's robot chair.
Blog text (12) -
In the world of technology, Elon Musk is often seen as the big daddy of innovation.
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Many consider the CEO of the company to be the big daddy in the industry, making all the key decisions.
Synonyms
720
1.0
The most important person or thing in a field
91
3.5
A famous and important person or group in one area
79
3.9
A person who is important and powerful in a job or field
58
4.5
A person, team, or organization that is very successful and able to influence others
54
6.7
A person who is very important and powerful in a group
43
7.1
A person with an important job in an organization
37
6.8
A very important event, thing, or person that matters a lot
34
7.0
The most important person who controls a group or activity
34
3.8
A person or company that has a lot of power in a field
32
5.1
An important person with power in a company or field
29
3.6
An important person in a group or organization who has power
26
4.0
A very important and influential person in a field
26
4.6
A person with the most power in a group
25
3.8
An important person who is treated as successful or powerful
17
6.9
An important person with power in a company or group
15
4.9
A person who has a lot of power and influence in a field
14
2.5
A person with great power or status who gets special treatment
10
5.3
A person who is very important in a group or company
8
7.5
A very large, strong, or important person like a leader
8
9.5
A very important person in a group or organization, often the most powerful
3
7.4
A very large and powerful person or company that beats others easily
2
5.6
An important person who has a lot of power in a group
2
7.9
A person who uses connections to influence votes or decisions
2
7.5
A person who is in charge of a group and makes the main decisions
2
8.4
A person who is the most important leader in a group or organization
1
9.9
A joking name for a person who has great power in a group
1
7.7
The most important person in a group or organization
1
8.6
An important person with power in a group or area
1
8.9
An important person in charge who people call jokingly
1
6.5
A very large company, organization, or person that dominates an industry
Antonyms
How Powerful
- Slang
16
8.1
- Literature
34
7.0
∞
1.0
74
1.8
- Informal
1
6.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
big + daddy
The meaning is partly inferable: 'big' conveys importance/size and 'daddy' evokes a paternal or dominant male figure, so a learner who knows both words can reasonably guess it refers to an important or dominant person. However, the phrase is colloquial and pragmatically loaded (can be affectionate, ironic, or pejorative) and the precise nuance and typical contexts are not fully predictable from the parts alone, so it requires some exposure.
Etymology
Big daddy may come from the picture of a large father who protects and makes the rules. The word daddy stands for a father or leader and big makes him the most powerful, so the name came to mean 'an important or influential person'.