Idioms

operator

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big-time operator

A person, company, or organization that is very successful, prominent, and influential in some area of business. Once a small local farm run by Jefferies and his brothers, their berry business is now a big-time operator responsible for supplying the entire Pacific Northwest. These big-time operators have the funds to fight these civil lawsuits, but smaller companies like ours have little choice but to try and settle for an amount we can afford. When we were in school together, that guy was such a slacker! I had no idea he became such a big-time operator in the oil trade.
See also: operator

smooth operator

One who is particularly charming and persuasive in one's speech or behavior. Chad is such a smooth operator that he always has women swooning over him whenever we go out. She's a smooth operator who knows how to maneuver her way through the various levels of bureaucracy to get what she wants.
See also: operator, smooth
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

a smooth operator

If you describe someone as a smooth operator, you mean that they are very successful, often by cleverly persuading other people to do what they want. As with many people in the Foreign Office, he is a smooth operator and able to avoid conflict.
See also: operator, smooth
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

big-time operator

and BTO
1. n. someone who does business in a big way. (The abbreviation is an initialism.) If you’re such a BTO, why are we standing here in the rain?
2. n. a man who chases women. That twit thinks he’s a big-time operator. A stud he’s not. A big-time operator needs a big-time car!
See also: operator

smooth operator

and smoothie
n. a clever and quiet person, especially in reference to romantic involvement; a seducer. He thinks he’s such a smooth operator! Clare is an old smoothie till she thinks she’s got everything the way she wants. Then you see the real Clare.
See also: operator, smooth
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
See also:
References in periodicals archive
To achieve the necessary return, operators need to target new use cases that 5G technology makes possible, identifying those services and experiences that consumers, businesses, and public bodies will want.
Getting a return on 5G
Some organisations have global link operations but most operators are still small and limited to their countries.
Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, others top list of 100 Africa tour operators
The blocking probability without sharing for each operator i can be calculated using Erlang B formula as follows:
A Study of Multi-Operator Resource Sharing using Markov Chain Model
Mr Khama explained that the ministry, in conjunction with the operators, had since opened a new route to address the situation and the situation was monitored for the benefit of the operators and environment.
83 mobile tour operator licenses issued to Chobe people
Operator: Is she old enough to go and open the front door?
'He's just dead as far as I can see' - excerpt from 999 call
The Strand-Mount Unit creates new opportunities for outdoor deployments for customers such as telecom operators, cable operators and tower companies.
Ericsson launches 3 new small cell solutions
The directory features new user capabilities accessing all 3,419 certificated operators worldwide and their 16,631 charter aircraft.
Air Charter operator directory upgrade announced
While the actual labor expense of an operator equates to approximately 15 percent of a machine's overall operating cost, the operator's behavior can have a significant impact on all but one of the other factors.
Maximizing ROI with operator training: how to identify and implement practical cost improvements at your operation
However, where public interest would be better served by admitting a new operator, as when the prior operator has failed to render adequate, sufficient and satisfactory service, the "prior operator" rule shall not apply.
LTFRB to rationalize routes of PU buses
On May 25, the licences of two of the country's largest mobile operators Jazz and Telenor are set to expire.
GSMA concerned at high fees for renewal of telecom licences
Justice Shahid Karim passed the orders on a petition filed by Hajj Organisers Association of Pakistan challenging allotment of additional Hajj quota to new tour operators.
LHC stays allotment of additional Hajj quota to new tour operators
Nowadays every work carries out with the help of computer in almost all public and private offices inspite of that computer operators have been deprived from their core rights since its appointment in this regard a large number of computer operators set off rally up to Press Club Shikarpur from Mirani Park to record their peaceful protest for upgradation, here on Sunday.
Step motherly attitude condemns
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