big daddy
1
8.1
- noun
- /bɪɡ ˈdædi/
- Slang
:
padrino
- 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."
-
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.
-
Many consider the CEO of the company to be the big daddy in the industry, making all the key decisions.
Synonyms
508
1.0
The most important person or thing in a field
126
4.0
A very important and influential person in a field
91
3.9
A person who is important and powerful in a job or field
57
4.5
A person, team, or organization that is very successful and able to influence others
43
3.5
A famous and important person or group in one area
37
3.8
An important person who is treated as successful or powerful
35
6.8
A very important event, thing, or person that matters a lot
33
7.0
The most important person who controls a group or activity
29
3.8
A person or company that has a lot of power in a field
22
6.9
An important person with power in a company or group
21
4.6
A person with the most power in a group
16
2.5
A person with great power or status who gets special treatment
14
3.6
An important person in a group or organization who has power
12
4.9
A person who has a lot of power and influence in a field
9
5.1
An important person with power in a company or field
8
5.3
A person who is very important in a group or company
5
7.1
A person with an important job in an organization
4
9.5
A very important person in a group or organization, often the most powerful
4
7.5
A very large, strong, or important person like a leader
3
8.4
A person who is the most important leader in a group or organization
2
7.4
A very large and powerful person or company that beats others easily
2
6.7
A person who is very important and powerful in a group
2
7.9
A person who uses connections to influence votes or decisions
1
7.5
A person who is in charge of a group and makes the main decisions
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
5.6
An important person who has a lot of power in a group
1
8.9
An important person in charge who people call jokingly
A joking name for a person who has great power in a group
A very large company, organization, or person that dominates an industry
Antonyms
How Powerful
- Slang
1
8.1
- Literature
33
7.0
∞
1.0
50
1.8
- Informal
39
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'.