What does "big fish in a little pond" mean?

1. Definition (expr.) a person who has more skills than are necessary for his/her position, a person who is smarter and more talented than most of the other people around him/her, a person who feels that s/he should be doing something more important with his/her life because s/he has the ability to do so

Examples “I’ve got to get out of this town. It’s just too small. I’m tired of being a big fish in a small pond. I want to move to a big city like New York or LA.”

Examples “Jeff has always been a big fish in a little pond when it comes to sports. He’s just so much bigger, faster and more talented than the other kids his age.”

Examples “I don’t like Mary. She has this attitude like she’s so much smarter than everyone else. It’s like she thinks she’s the big fish in a small pond, which is totally untrue. She’s no better at her job than we are at ours.”

Examples “Before he moved to Paris, Juan was a big fish in a small pond. Once he got there, he realized that there are a lot of intelligent and talented people in this world.”

• blurt!
• Add to My Vocab
• Take "big-fish-in-a-little-pond" Quiz

Members who passed this quiz