C2idiomformalpolitics
the great and the good
USUK
important and respected people, often seen as an out-of-touch elite
British, and often slightly ironic. It always refers to a group. Often 'the great and the good of' a place.
In context
The ceremony was packed with the great and the good of the capital.
A committee of the great and the good will advise on the new law.
More idioms about politics
- a double standarda rule applied more strictly to one group than to another
- a grey areaa situation where the rules are unclear, so nobody is sure what is allowed
- a hidden agendaa secret reason or plan behind what someone says or does
- a hot potatoa difficult issue that people disagree about and nobody wants to deal with
- a lame ducka politician or government with little real power, often near the end of a term in office