Big cheese

[Stromgol]

Well, I recently read something and I could read someone is a big cheese so please anyone tell me in what circumstance I could say somebody is a big cheese?

 

[probus]

A big cheese is a person of power and influence.

French: un homme de poids (et aujourd'hui une femme de poids.)

 

[Mehrgan]

***not a teacher***

Also a big fish, big noise, big gun, big wheel, and big shot. The last two ones must be used more in AmE.

 

[Raymott]

I've always heard it as "the Big Cheese". There's only one - the boss.
The Numero Uno, Head Honcho, big Kahuna ...
Some of Mehrgan's can be multiple - "He's one of the big guns." But there's only one Big Cheese (in a certain place at a certain time).
Is it used differently elsewhere?

 

[probus]

I've always heard it as "the Big Cheese". There's only one - the boss.

Perhaps that is an Australian usage. Around here, we often say someone is a big cheese.

 

[Tdol]

In the UK, you can have many big guns, but there's only one big cheese IMO.