cog in the wheel
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Also, cog in the machine. One who holds a minor but necessary post in a large organization, as in Frank knew he was just a cog in the wheel of this giant corporation. This term alludes to the role of the mechanical cog, one of the teeth on a wheel or gear that, by engaging other teeth, transmits or receives motion. Used figuratively since about 1930, it sometimes is put as small cog in a large wheel, emphasizing a person's lack of importance.
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The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
Words nearby cog in the wheel
cogeneration, cogent, Coggan, cogged, coggle, cog in the wheel, cogitable, cogitate, cogitation, cogitative, cogito, ergo sum
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
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