a mover and a shaker
A person who is able to get things done with their power, influence, or money. She thinks her father can get me into law school. Apparently he's quite a mover and a shaker. The conference is going to be full of movers and shakers of the industry, so I want to make a good impression. This investor is real mover and a shaker, so, if he signs on with us, he could really get our business off the ground.
prime mover
The person or thing that generates the initial energy or momentum for something to happen. The newly elected congresswoman has been the prime mover in the recent environmental reforms. While there was a confluence of events leading to his removal from office, it was the revelation of his tax evasion that was the prime mover.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
movers and shakers
people who get things done; organizers and managers. The movers and shakers in this firm haven't exactly been working overtime. Who are the movers and shakers around here?
prime mover
Fig. the force that sets something going; someone or something that starts something off. The assistant manager was the prime mover in getting the manager sacked. Discontent with his job was the prime mover in John's deciding to retire early.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
mover and shaker
A person who wields power and influence in a particular activity or field, as in He's one of the movers and shakers in the art world. At first the two nouns referred specifically to God, alluding to the belief that a divine force was responsible for all events. The current usage refers only to human beings. [Second half of 1800s]
prime mover
The initial source of energy directed toward a goal, someone or something that sets others in motion. For example, Jean was the prime mover in getting us more laboratory space, or Patriotism was the prime mover of the revolution. [Late 1600s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
the movers and shakers
JOURNALISMCOMMON If you talk about the movers and shakers, you mean the people with power and influence in a particular area who make things happen and cause new developments. They were given introductions to the movers and shakers in the industry. Cochran was only 21, but in four short years had established himself as one of the movers and shakers of '50s rock'n'roll. Note: This comes from the poem `Ode' by Arthur O'Shaugnessy (1874): `We are the music-makers And we are the dreamers of dreams... We are the movers and shakers Of the world for ever, it seems.'
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
a mover and shaker
someone at the centre of events who makes things happen; a powerful person. Movers and shakers is first recorded in Arthur O'Shaughnessy's 1874 poem ‘Ode’.
1998 Times Ten years from now his name will again be high on the list of movers and shakers to watch in the decade.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
ˌmovers and ˈshakers
people with power in important organizations: He is one of the principle movers and shakers in the political arena.a prime ˈmover
a person or a thing that starts something and has an important influence on its development: The prime mover in setting up the group was ex-lawyer James Stanley. ♢ Economic factors are the prime mover of change.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
movers and shakers
n. people who get things done; organizers and managers. The movers and shakers in this firm haven’t exactly been working overtime.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
movers and shakers
Individuals with the power and/or influence to effect change. At first each of these nouns alluded specifically to God, but in the nineteenth century they began to be paired and applied to human beings. The OED quotes A. O’Shaughnessy’s Music and Moonlight (1874): “Yet we are the movers and shakers of the world forever, it seems.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer