grand

the grand old man of something (humorous)

a man who has been involved in a particular activity for a long time and is known and respected by a lot of people. It was in this play that he formed a double act with that other grand old man of the Berlin theatre, Bernhard Minetti.

See also: man, old

in the grand/great scheme of things

if you say that in the grand scheme of things something is not important, you mean that it is not important when compared to much more serious things. In the grand scheme of things, whether another actress has her navel pierced is not really that significant.

See also: great, scheme, thing