king of the castle en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
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(uncountable, usually) A children's game in which one player is located on something elevated and other players attempt to take his or her place.
[A] throng of children came pouring from school. […] [T]hey were storming the sand-heap, pelting a king of the castle, who pelted back with handfuls.
1912, Arthur Quiller-Couch, chapter 2, in Hocken and Hunken:
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(broadly, derogatory, idiomatic, sarcastic, sometimes, uncountable, usually) A person who assumes a position of greater importance, authority, or prominence than others.
Wainwright, who is composing the music, is partnered with Daniel MacIvor, who is writing the libretto. “Both Daniel and I are used to being king of the castle,” Rufus confides, “so we need a third party to give us a sense of perspective.”
2016 June 18, Martin Knelman, “Music: Rufus does Judy and faces himself”, in The Star, Canada, retrieved 03 Jan 2019:Darren Clarke's impressive victory on Sunday at Montecastillo in the Volvo Masters, the season's finale, was good enough to leapfrog Lee Westwood into second place on the order of merit, but not to dislodge Monty as the king of the castle.
1998 November 3, Andy Farrell, “Golf: World stage awaits Monty's magic”, in Independent, UK, retrieved 03 Jan 2019:Mr. Matthews, usually nonjudgmental when writing about O'Connor's domestic relations, can't resist calling him "the king of the castle, the smug possessor of a bevy of three fine women absolutely de-voted to him."
1983 April 30, Deirdre Bair, "Enmity, Torment, Adversity" (review of Voices: A Life of Frank O'Connor by James Matthews), New York Times (retrieved 3 Jan 2019)[A] onetime classmate in Kumamoto said, "I think Matsumoto is trying to create a closed society like the school for the blind he went to. He is trying to create a society separate from ordinary society in which he can become king of the castle."
1995 April 30, James Walsh, “Shoko Asahara: The Making of a Messiah”, in Time, retrieved 03 Jan 2019:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| kings of the castle | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| kings of the castles | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Relateds
Synonyms
big man · muckamuck · muckety muck · big name · king of the castle · numero uno · baron · high muckamuck · top dog · king of all one surveys · head honcho · VIP · poobah · somebody · macher · grand poobah · top cat · kingpin · boss · bigwig · heavyweight · top gun · king of the hill · mayor · panjandrum · big wheel · big gun · top boy · mugwump · big cheese · high muckety-muck · king of the hill · rooster · King of the Jungle · big enchilada · very important person · wheel · heavy hitter · big noise · top banana · king of the hill · big kahuna · big shot