Also:big fish in a little pondbig frog in a small/little pond
Meaning of Idiom ‘A Big Fish in a Small Pond’A big fish in a small pond is a person who is important or successful only within a limited situation or small arena; someone who is overqualified for their position in relation to their colleagues; someone who seems more important only because they are judged in relation to a small group. 1Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.,2Ayto, John. [http://amzn.to/2vdGvI7 Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms]. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010.,3Jarvie, Gordon. Bloomsbury Dictionary of Idioms. London: Bloomsbury, 2009.,4Bengelsdorf, Peter. Idioms in the News – 1,000 Phrases, Real Examples. N.p.: Amz Digital Services, 2012.
The opposite, little fish in a big pond, is less often heard.
Sentence Examples“He’s actually got two doctorates and has published some quite respected papers but he loves teaching at his small university. I guess some people had rather be a big fish in a small pond.”
“You were a big fish in a small pond, but this here is the ocean and you’re drowning. Go back to Puddleville.” — Big Fish (2004)
“My girlfriend saw you fight a couple of times over at the Olympic. Said you were good. Said you were somebody.” “Big fish, small pond.” “Never made it up to the big boys’ division like you.” — The Black Dahlia (2006)
“And, Lisa, you have a choice. You may continue to be challenged in third grade or return to second grade and be merely a big fish in a small pond.” — The Simpsons: Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade (2002)
“It’s an excellent paper. But it’s kind of small.” “Well you could be the big fish in the small pond.” “Yeah, which means I would actually get to write some articles, which would be great. But I don’t know.” — Gilmore Girls: Hay Bale Maze (2007)
“So you’d rather be a big fish in a small pond…” “Than a what? A zero in London?” “Than be a self-respecting and independent.” — Life at the Top (1966)
OriginThe term ‘big fish’ has been used for an important or influential person since the 1800s. More recently, ‘a small pond’ came to be used as a metaphor for an unimportant or small organization or group. Related is the proverb ‘better a big fish in a little puddle than a little fish in a big puddle.’ 5Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
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Sources ↲1, ↲5 Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013. ↲2 Ayto, John. [http://amzn.to/2vdGvI7 Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms]. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010. ↲3 Jarvie, Gordon. Bloomsbury Dictionary of Idioms. London: Bloomsbury, 2009. ↲4 Bengelsdorf, Peter. Idioms in the News – 1,000 Phrases, Real Examples. N.p.: Amz Digital Services, 2012. Discover more from Idioms OnlineSubscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
