noun General Slang

Big Cheese

/ˌbɪɡ ˈtʃiːz/ · noun · slang

The boss, the head honcho, the most important person in the room.

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Definitions

1

Someone who acts self-important or thinks highly of their own status.

“Ever since the promotion he's been a real big cheese about it.”
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2

The leader of a gang, club, or operation.

“The big cheese ran the whole bootlegging racket from a back office.”
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3

An important, powerful, or high-ranking person; the one in charge.

“Talk to the big cheese if you want that contract.”
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Big Cheese In A Sentence

You can't just walk in and demand to see the big cheese.
She became the big cheese at the agency before she turned thirty.
Around here, he's the big cheese and everybody knows it.

Origin & Usage

American slang that took hold in the 1920s, likely playing on 'the big cheese' as a play on the Persian or Urdu word 'chiz' (thing) carried into English, or simply 'cheese' as something grand. It flourished in jazz-age talk for bosses and bigwigs.

Variants the big cheese
Tags #1920s#flapper#jazz-age#prohibition#vintage#people

People Also Ask

What does 'big cheese' mean in slang?

It means the most important or powerful person, the boss. It was popular 1920s slang for a bigwig.

Where did 'big cheese' come from?

It became widespread in 1920s American slang. One theory traces 'cheese' to the Persian/Urdu word 'chiz,' meaning 'thing,' reinterpreted in English.

Is 'big cheese' an insult?

It can go either way. Said straight it just means the boss; said with an eye-roll it mocks someone's inflated importance.

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