[Idiom] idioms meaning "to be in charge, to give the orders"

[Olenek]

Hi everybody,

I've found two idioms with the sense "to be in charge, to give the orders":

To run the show,
To call the tune/ shots (from the expression: He who pays the piper calls the tune (19th c.)

Are these phrases common in your country? Or do you use other idioms with the same sense?

Many Thanks!:up:

 

[riquecohen]

Hi everybody,

I've found two idioms with the sense "to be in charge, to give the orders":

To run the show,
To call the tune/ shots (from the expression: He who pays the piper calls the tune (19th c.)

Are these phrases common in your country? Or do you use other idioms with the same sense?

Many Thanks!:up:

These are all frequently heard in AmE. The person in charge is often called the "top dog."

 

[5jj]

To run the show,
To call the tune/ shots

For me, neither necessarily means 'the person in charge'. They mean 'the person who actually controls things' -who may, of course, be the person in charge. Compare:

The headteacher is Dr Jobsworth, but it's his deputy who runs the show.
The new headteacher runs the show rather more efficiently than his predecessor.