big fish in a small pond

Idioms  

1. Also, big frog in a little pond. A person who is important in a limited arena; someone overqualified for a position or in relation to colleagues. For example, Steve has both a Ph.D. and an M.D., yet he's content with his practice at a rural hospital; he prefers to be a big fish in a little pond. The expression big fish has been slang for an important or influential person since the early 1800s. The addition of in a small pond as a metaphor for an unimportant organization is more recent, as is the substitution of frog. Another variant is the proverb Better a big fish in a little puddle than a little fish in a big puddle.

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Example Sentences

Richardson was a good example, which he said was especially common in Wales, of being "the big fish in a small pond".

From BBC

At some point, he told Golf Digest, tour veteran Charley Hoffman asked him: “What’s your deal? When you’re the big fish in a small pond, you seem to do great. But when you’re a small fish in a big pond, you seem to go away.”

From Washington Post

He's not interested in being a big fish in a small pond.

From Salon

“He made me feel comfortable as far as him being the offensive coordinator and him laying out a plan for me, telling me I would get out on the field as a freshman. For us to come from Washington, D.C., was a big culture shock. But it was something we wanted to do. I got to be a big fish in a small pond.”

From Washington Post

Turell was a big fish in a small pond but not one in which he was alone.

From Los Angeles Times