a little frog in a big pond

a little frog in a big pond

Someone within a large operation or organization who is less important or less qualified than those around them. This thankless IT support job is really getting old. Ever since I started here, I've just been a little frog in a big pond. They don't care about us interns at all. We're just little frogs in a big pond, doing all the printing and copying without any recognition whatsoever. Though Jennifer was popular and well-known within the walls of her small high school, she became a little frog in a big pond once she started attending a large state university.

See also: big, frog, little, pond

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

little frog in a big pond

Also, small frog in a large pond. An unimportant or unqualified individual in a large organization or other setting. For example, Coming from a small school, Sandy felt lost at the state university-a little frog in a big pond . This phrase is the counterpart of big fish in a small pond.

See also: big, frog, little, pond

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.