rule the roost en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
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(idiomatic) To be the controlling member(s) of a family, organization, or other group.
His was biding his time, and patiently looking forward to the days when he himself would sit authoritative at some board, and talk and direct, and rule the roost, while lesser stars sat round and obeyed.
1857, Anthony Trollope, chapter 3, in Barchester Towers:Felix (nothing if not modern) had succumbed already to the feeling that youth ruled the roost.
1915, John Galsworthy, chapter 16, in The Freelands:At that moment in fashion, French couturiers ruled the roost.
2004 February 16, Kate Betts, “9 Rei Kawakubo”, in Time:Finn Russell and Owen Farrell kicked two penalties apiece but it was the Scotland stand-off who ruled the roost - despite a ten-minute sin-binning for an attempted trip on England scrum-half Ben Youngs.
2021 February 6, Graham Bean, “Scotland beat England at Twickenham for the first time in 38 years”, in The Scotsman:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ruled the roost | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| ruled the roost | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| ruling the roost | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| rules the roost | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic |
Relateds
Synonyms
Translations (4)
pl rozstawić po kątach (Translations) · es manejar el cotarro (Translations) · pl rozstawiać po kątach (Translations) · fi olla kukkona tunkiolla (Translations)