big kahuna

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Hawaiian word kahuna (“a shaman or wizard”).

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Noun

big kahuna (plural big kahunas)

1. (idiomatic, informal) A boss, leader, chieftain, or top-ranking person in an organization.

   You'll have to talk with the big kahuna to get a decision on that.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:important person
• big cheese
• big enchilada
• bigwig
• big wheel
• grand poobah
• head honcho
• kingpin
• muckety muck
• top banana
• top dog

Translations

boss

• Finnish: pääjehu (fi)
• Portuguese: mandachuva (pt) m or f