rule the roost
/ˌruːl ðə ˈruːst/INFORMAL · C1
Meaning
to be the person who makes the decisions in a group
Examples
- 1In our house, it's the cat that rules the roost; even the dog gets out of its way.
- 2Gran ruled the roost at family dinners, and nobody argued with her seating plan.
- 3Aisha is the youngest in the office, but she rules the roost: everyone does what she says.
- 4Who rules the roost in your family? Who decides where you go on holiday?
- 5When the new manager arrived, it was clear she would rule the roost; she rewrote every rota herself.
Grammar
Only rule changes: rules, ruling, ruled. Keep the roost fixed.
More idioms about home
All 20 idioms and the topic quiz →a household namesomeone or something that almost everyone has heard ofbring the house downto make an audience laugh or clap very loudlygo through the roofto rise to a very high level very quicklyon your doorstepvery close to where you liveuntil the cows come homefor a very long timehit hometo make you fully realise how serious something is
English Idioms400 idioms in 20 topics — with reviews that keep them from fading
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