Idioms About Leadership

Aces Call Cap Crackdown Dog Fire Gallery Hand Heel Indians
Powers Reins Screws Shots Spot Strings Thumb Weight Wigs Wings

Insert the words from above into the most appropriate sentences below.

1) The boss told me that she was going to have to put on her thinking __________ before she could give
us an answer. (Consider carefully)
2) I’m sorry for putting the _________ on but that project needs to be finished by Friday. (Exerting pressure)
3) They are a good team but a little boisterous at times and the new supervisor will need to bring them to
___________ from time to time. (Enforce discipline).
4) He is rather a mediocre politician if you look at his policies. However, his habit of playing to the
____________ seems to be giving him a distinct advantage. (Use populist tactics)
5) We have a visit from the big ___________ at head office, today. (Very important people)
6) This company is small but it has 16 directors. There are too many chiefs and not enough _____________
if you ask me. (Surplus bosses)
7) The ____________ that be want us to prepare a budget for next week. (The people in charge)
8) We are at Jane’s beck and _______ for this project. Head office wants her in charge. (Under her authority)
9) We have to do as they say. They are calling the __________. (Making all the decisions)
10) I don’t want to put you on the __________ but we need an answer today. (Force somebody to decide)

11) We need to light a __________ under the team if we want that project finished by Friday. (Motivate)

12) Bill retires as director at the end of the year. Theresa is waiting in the ____________ to take over.
(Biding her time to assume command)

13) Well, if John agrees with us, that’s all to the good. His opinion carries a lot of ________. (Very influential)

14) She runs that office with a heavy __________. A lot of the staff have left. (Too much discipline)

15) He has been the president for more than 20 years now. It’s about time somebody else held the
____________ for a while. (Ruled)

16) John may be the director but it’s Tracy who pulls all the __________. (A significant influence on decisions)

17) They always agree with him. They are completely under his ____________. (Heavily influenced by him)

18) The local authority has initiated a _____________ on noise pollution. (Taken severe measures)

19) He was the top ___________ in his field and many people sought his advice. (A leader)

20) It is going to be a very difficult negotiation. The other side is holding all the _______. (Have advantages)

Follow up!
Now write five sentences using the expressions from above:
e.g. The top brass want a good job doing. etc.
 Idioms about Leadership - Origins
Which stories below do you think are the true origins of the expressions?

1) What is the origin of the expression “to put on one’s thinking cap?”
a) This relates to a traditional cap worn by professors at Cambridge and Oxford universities. The cap was
designed to encompass all areas of knowledge (science, art, religion and nature) and would have four sides as a
result. When a professor wore this cap, in a ceremonial sense, all areas of knowledge were then open to him.
b) This is related to school discipline in the 18th century. If a child was disruptive, that child would be made to
stand in a corner with a thinking cap on and would be told to stay there until s/he had thought about their
actions and why they were being punished. This practice continued until the 20th century.
c) From the 17th century, judges in England would put on a ceremonial cap before passing a sentence. This was
still used in the 20th century for capital cases (passing a death sentence) in the UK.
2) What is the origin of the expression “to put the screws on?”
a) This refers to the industrial revolution and machine assembly. During the mid-17th century, when any kind of
machine was being built, the final screws holding it all together would be placed by the person in charge of its
assembly. When he did this, he would “put the screws on,” and the job was seen as finished.
b) This expression relates to medieval torture and a horrible device known as a “thumbscrew.” This device was
placed on the thumbs and then tightened until the thumbs started to break. It was extremely painful and was
used for getting people to confess to crimes or to subtract information.
c) For many centuries, the guards in charge of running prisons, or supervising wrongdoers, have been called
“screws.” To “put the screws on” was an expression that meant you were being punished or were subject to
punishment in the future or, if not, under close observation by the “screws.”
3) What is the origin of the expression “to bring to heel?”
a) This expression is all about training dogs to walk at their owner’s side. In fact, it is known as “walking to heel”
or “bringing to heel,” so that the dog walks next to the owner’s foot, preferably a little behind so, closer to the
heel of the foot. It is not unusual to hear dog owners saying “heel!” as a command.
b) This dates back to the feudal system in medieval times. The people who worked for the local aristocrat were
considered to be his property. If one of the aristocrat’s workers decided to go and find work elsewhere, s/he
would have his or her heels crushed in a special vice. This would make walking for long distances very painful
but would not stop anybody from working.
c) This refers to the 17th century and the popular fashion among the upper classes of wearing “heels.” High heel
shoes were first worn by men, rather than women, to make them look bigger and therefore to command more
respect from other people. When a person was disciplined by their employer during the 17th century,
comparisons were made to people wearing heels to look bigger.
4) What is the origin of the expression “to play to the gallery?”
a) This is an expression that dates from at least the 16th century and refers to early English theatres. The upper
levels of the theatre were named (and still are) the gallery and this is where the cheaper seats were located.
The people who occupied this area tended to have less sophisticated tastes than those in the front rows. If a
performer wasn’t getting much reaction from the audience, he would start to tell vulgar jokes which would
nearly always get a response from the gallery audiences.
b) This is an expression from the 18th century and refers to life on board Royal Navy ships during the Napoleonic
Wars. Before a big naval battle, it was customary for the captain of a ship to go down to the ship’s galley
(kitchen and dining area) and talk to his men in an informal manner and normally issue an extra ration of rum.
The captain and his men would then get drunk and talk about how they would win the coming battle. The word
galley became corrupted over time to gallery.
c) This expression refers to art galleries and the habit of politicians in the 18th century London of popping into
these venues to try and secure the votes of the wealthy clients. Some art galleries would hang notices that
forbade entry to politicians during election time.
5) What is the origin of the expression “big wigs?”
a) This expression refers to the wigs worn by judges in Scotland. A judge would rule the area in the name of the
king or queen of England. As such, they had absolute power and nobody was anywhere near as important.
b) This expression refers to the enormous wigs that the nobility in Europe would wear in the late 17th, 18th and
early 19th centuries. The wigs worn by the upper classes were originally worn to cover hair-loss. Eventually,
wearing these wigs became very competitive and a lot of money would go into their design. As a result, the wigs
got bigger and bigger. The bigger the wig, the more they cost, and the more important the owner, in theory.
c) This expression dates from the early 18th century and refers to one of the political parties in England at the
time. The Liberal party were also known as “The Wigs” and had a lot more power than “The Tories” for most of
the 18th century. As such, people would refer to them as “big wigs.”
 Answers

1) The boss told me that she was going to have to put on her thinking cap before she could give us an
answer. (Consider carefully)
2) I’m sorry for putting the screws on but that project needs to be finished by Friday. (Exerting pressure)
3) They are a good team but a little boisterous at times and the new supervisor will need to bring them to
heel from time to time. (Enforce discipline).
4) He is rather a mediocre politician if you look at his policies. However, his habit of playing to the gallery
seems to be giving him a distinct advantage. (Use populist tactics)
5) We have a visit from the big wigs at head office, today. (Very important people)
6) This company is small but it has 16 directors. There are too many chiefs and not enough Indians if you
ask me. (Surplus bosses)
7) The powers that be want us to prepare a budget for next week. (The people in charge)
8) We are at Jane’s beck and call for this project. Head office wants her in charge. (Under their authority)
9) We have to do as they say. They are calling the shots. (Making all the decisions)
10) I don’t want to put you on the spot but we need an answer today. (Force somebody to decide)

11) We need to light a fire under the team if we want that project finished by Friday. (Motivate)

12) Bill retires as director at the end of the year. Theresa is waiting in the wings to take over.
(Biding their time to assume command)

13) Well, if John agrees with us, that’s all to the good. His opinion carries a lot of weight. (Very influential)

14) She runs that office with a heavy hand. A lot of the staff have left. (Too much discipline)

15) He has been the president for more than 20 years now. It’s about time somebody else held the reins.
(Ruled)

16) John may be the director but it’s Tracy who pulls all the strings. (Has a significant influence on decisions)

17) They always agree with him. They are completely under his thumb. (Heavily influenced by him)

18) The local authority has initiated a crackdown on noise pollution. (Taken severe measures)

19) He was the top dog in his field and many people sought his advice. (A leader)

20) It is going to be a very difficult negotiation. The other side is holding all the aces. (Have advantages)
 Answers
1) What is the origin of the expression “to put on one’s thinking cap?”
a) This relates to a traditional cap worn by professors Cambridge and Oxford universities. The cap was designed
to encompass all areas of knowledge (science, art, religion, nature) and would have four sides as a result. When
a professor wore this cap, in a ceremonial sense, all areas of knowledge were then open to him.
b) This is related to school discipline in the 18th century. If a child was disruptive, that child would be made to
stand in a corner with a thinking cap on and would be told to stay there until s/he had thought about their
actions and why they were being punished. This practice continued until the 20th century.
c) From the 17th century, judges in England would put on a ceremonial cap before passing a sentence. This was
still used in the 20th century for capital cases (passing a death sentence) in the UK.
2) What is the origin of the expression “to the screws on?”
a) This refers to the industrial revolution and machine assembly. During the mid-17th century, when any kind of
machine was being built the final screws holding it all together would be placed by the person in charge of its
assembly. When he did this, he would “put the screws on,” and the job was seen as finished.
b) This expression relates to medieval torture and a horrible device known as a “thumbscrew.” This device was
placed on the thumbs and then tightened until the thumbs started to break. It was extremely painful and was
used for getting people to confess to crimes or to subtract information.
c) For many centuries, the guards in charge of running prisons, or supervising wrongdoers, have been called
“screws.” To “put the screws on” was an expression that meant you were being punished or were subject to
punishment in the future or, if not, under close observation by the “screws.”
3) What is the origin of the expression “to bring to heel?”
a) This expression is all about training dogs to walk at their owner’s side. In fact, it is known as “walking to heel”
or “bringing to heel,” so that the dog walks next to the owner’s foot, preferably a little behind, so closer to the
heel of the foot. It is not unusual to hear dog owners saying “heel!” as a command.
b) This dates back to the feudal system in medieval times. The people who worked for the local aristocrat were
considered to be his property. If one of the aristocrat’s workers decided to go and find work elsewhere, s/he
would have his or her heels crushed in a special vice. This would make walking for long distances very painful
but would not stop anybody from working.
c) This refers to the 17th century and the popular fashion among the upper classes of wearing “heels.” High heel
shoes were first worn by men, rather than women, to make them look bigger and therefore to command more
respect from other people. When a person was disciplined by their employer during the 17th century,
comparisons were made to people wearing heels to look bigger.
4) What is the origin of the expression “to play to the gallery?”
a) This is an expression that dates from at least the 16th century and refers to early English theatres. The upper
levels of the theatre were named (and still are) the gallery and this is where the cheaper seats were located.
The people who occupied this area tended to have less sophisticated tastes than those in the front rows. If a
performer wasn’t getting much reaction from the audience, he would start to tell vulgar jokes which would
nearly always get a response from the gallery audiences.
b) This is an expression from the 18th century and refers to life on board Royal Navy ships during the Napoleonic
Wars. Before a big naval battle, it was customary for the captain of a ship to go down to the ship’s galley
(kitchen and dining area) and talk to his men in an informal manner and normally issue an extra ration of rum.
The captain and his men would then get drunk and talk about how they would win the coming battle. The word
galley became corrupted over time to gallery.
c) This expression refers to art galleries and the habit of politicians in 18th century London of popping into these
venues to try and secure the votes of the wealthy clients. Some art galleries would hang notices that forbade
entry to politicians during election time.
5) What is the origin of the expression “big wigs?”
a) This expression refers to the wigs worn by judges in Scotland. A judge would rule the area in the name of the
king or queen of England. As such, they had absolute power and nobody was anywhere near as important.
b) This expression refers to the enormous wigs that the nobility in Europe would wear in the late 17th, 18th and
early 19th centuries. The wigs worn by the upper classes were originally worn to cover hair-loss. Eventually,
wearing these wigs became very competitive and a lot of money would go into their design. As a result, the wigs
got bigger and bigger. The bigger the wig, the more they cost, and the more important the owner, in theory.
c) This expression dates from the early 18th century and refers to one of the political parties in England at the
time. The Liberal party were also known as “The Wigs” and had a lot more power than “The Tories” for most of
the 18th century. As such, people would refer to them as “big wigs.”