tall poppy

American  

[tawl pop-ee] / ˈtɔl ˈpɒp i /

noun

Chiefly Australian, New Zealand Informal

1. a person of great success, talent, or status.

   They are the best and the brightest, our very own tall poppies.

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tall poppy British  

noun

1. informal a person who has a high salary or is otherwise prominent

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Etymology

Origin of tall poppy

First recorded in 1980–85; from an anecdote about Thrasybulus, tyrant of Miletus, 7th century b.c., related in Herodotus

Example Sentences

But one of the students asked if I had any advice about how to get beyond a narrow role while avoiding disdain — and being labeled a tall poppy.

From New York Times • May 3, 2024

“He’s a main chancer. But he also can’t express himself because he’s a mummy’s boy, and he’s far too tall, bless him. He suffers from the most obscene version of the tall poppy syndrome.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 25, 2020

After dismissing suggestions that Rooney was unfit, overweight and unprofessional as "rubbish", Ferguson suggested that the 27-year-old is a victim of tall poppy syndrome.

From The Guardian • Mar. 9, 2013

Inevitably, there's been talk of the tall poppy syndrome, something of a lazy fallback in these kind of discussions.

From BBC • Jul. 20, 2011

The tall poppy was being cut down to size by a computer program resembling a bowl of spaghetti.

From Underground by Dreyfus, Suelette