Some questions about "big fish in a small pond"
I just learned the idiom--"big fish in a small pond" today and the meaning of it in the internet is "one of the most important people in a small group or organization, who would have much less power and importance if they were part of a larger group or organization". I understand the former part of this sentence, but does the later part means that "a big fish in a small pond" can only be famous in the small area and once they come to a bigger environment, they will centainly be very normal?
Search from various English teachers...
Corrections · 3
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Thank you Jordan and Devi!
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You are right.
A "big fish in a small pond" is used to refer to someone who prefers to be in an influential, powerful position within a tiny group rather than undertake an ordinary role that carries no clout within a large group, organization or community.
Such people prefer to be extraordinary in a small place/community rather than go unnoticed in a big place/ community.
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You are understanding it correctly! The idiom has less to do with fame and more to do with how in a small group, one person holds more significance. If someone from a small rural school was the smartest student there, that will probably not be the case if they move to a large city school, if only because there is more competition. The student was a big fish (smart student) in a small pond (small school), but they've left the small pond and no longer are special.
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