big dog of the tanyard

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

A pompous, overbearing person who will not stand for dissent.

Register: dated, derogatory, slang

Where it’s used: Used American English
Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “big dog of the tanyard” mean?

A pompous, overbearing person who will not stand for dissent.

Is “big dog of the tanyard” formal or informal?

big dog of the tanyard is generally dated, derogatory, slang.