Definition, Meaning & Synonyms
the tail is wagging the dog
idiom
/ðə teɪl ɪz ˈwæɡɪŋ ðə dɔɡ/
Definition
A situation where a minor part is controlling or influencing the whole.
Examples
- In this company, it seems like the interns are making all the decisions; it’s a classic case of the tail wagging the dog.
- When the marketing team started overruling the product design decisions, it felt like the tail was wagging the dog.
Meaning
This phrase suggests that something of lesser importance is dictating or dominating something of greater importance.
Synonyms
- minor dictating major
- the less controlling the more
- small influencing large
