muckety muck en · NOUN
Etymology
Either a variant of muckamuck (the short form of high muckamuck), or a shortening of high muckety-muck. See the entry muckamuck.
Meanings
-
(US, colloquial) A high muckamuck; a person (especially self-important) in a position of power, authority, or status.
Consequently, there have been times when the muckety-mucks at Merriam-Webster have requested that we all mark every third or fifth word in at least one source just to fill our files with words that would not usually catch our eye.
2017, Kory Stamper, Word By Word, Vintage, published 2018, page 88:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| muckity-muck | alternative | lexicographic | |
| muckety-muck | alternative | lexicographic | |
| muckety mucks | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Synonyms
mugwump · baron · top dog · wheel · king of the castle · muckety muck · big gun · poobah · top cat · high muckamuck · big cheese · mayor · heavy hitter · big noise · king of the hill · bigwig · VIP · big wheel · macher · heavyweight · very important person · head honcho · panjandrum · big enchilada · big man · kingpin · high muckety-muck · boss · big name · grand poobah · big shot · rooster · big kahuna · somebody · numero uno · king of all one surveys · muckamuck · top boy · top gun · top banana