show who's boss
The idiom "show who's boss" is commonly used to express asserting dominance or control in various situations.
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Definition
B2Interpersonal
(informal, colloquial)To assert one's authority or dominance over another person.
Example
- She had to show her team who's boss by setting clear rules and expectations.
- In a heated argument, he felt the need to show who's boss.
B2General
(informal, colloquial)To demonstrate control or mastery over a challenging situation or object.
Example
- He finally showed the malfunctioning computer who's boss by fixing the issue.
- After struggling with the recipe, she managed to show the kitchen who's boss by cooking a perfect meal.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "show who's boss":
rule the schoolshow one's clawsshow offboss upwear the trousersput someone in their placeone's own bossshow the flagfinal bossshow out