new sheriff in town
5
7.2
- idiom
- Informal
:
nuevo en la posición
- There's a new sheriff in town, and his name is Reggie Hammond.
Examples
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We've got some new leaders in Raleigh now, a new sheriff in town, so to say; I look for this boondoggle to go away soon.
Blog text (13) -
And you must be the new sheriff in town.
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See, there was a new sheriff in town.
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But there is a new sheriff in town, and that is the Internet.
Blog text (4) -
There is a new sheriff in town in Columbus, and he knows how important this week is.
Blog text (12) -
All right baby, there's a new sheriff in town.
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I understand there's a new sheriff in town.
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With recent scandals, everyone is curious about the changes the new sheriff in town will implement.
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After the merger, the company appointed a new sheriff in town to enforce stricter policies.
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Contract negotiations have begun, and the players are aware that there's a new sheriff in town.
Synonyms
16
7.8
A person who makes big changes and influences people
10
4.3
A person who makes sure people follow rules or laws
8
4.4
A person who has an official job with power and responsibility in a government or organization
1
7.8
Has control and confidence when leading others
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The basic sense — there is a newly arrived local authority figure — is directly derivable from 'new' + 'sheriff' + 'in town', so a learner who knows those words can grasp the core idea. However, the idiomatic nuance (the expectation that this person will enforce change or stricter control) and the cultural/metaphorical use of 'sheriff' are not fully predictable from the parts, making it partially but not fully transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
New sheriff in town uses the image of a new sheriff coming to a small town and telling people to follow the rules. That's why it means 'a new person in charge who will enforce change'.