too big for one's britches


Also, too big for one's boots. Conceited, self-important, as in Ever since he won that tournament he's gotten too big for his britches, or There's no talking to Jill anymore—she's just too big for her boots. This metaphoric idiom alludes to becoming so “swollen” with conceit that one's pants or boots no longer fit. [Late 1800s]

Words Nearby too big for one's britches

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.