big kahunan.
/ˌbɪɡ kəˈhuːnə/, U.S. /ˌbɪɡ kəˈhunə/ 1. In Hawaii: a prominent priest, sage, or healer. Cf. kahuna n. a. rare.
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society > faith > church government > member of the clergy > priest > kinds of priest > [noun] > Hawaiian
big kahuna1886
kahuna1886
1886 Leprosy in Hawaii (Suppl. to Rep. President Board of Health) 173 Father was a ‘big kahuna’ (doctor and sorcerer).
1973 Los Angeles Times 3 Aug. a1/1 A reporter went to a bluff overlooking a cemetery at Kapaa, seeking the island's Big Kahuna—some say the most important kahuna of the Hawaiian archipelago.
2. slang (originally and chiefly North American).
a. Surfing. (A name for) a particularly skilled or respected surfer; (also) an exceptionally large wave. Cf. kahuna n. b.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > water sports except racing > surfing > [noun] > types or parts of wave
pounder1927
dumper1933
take-off1935
greeny1940
beach break1954
beacher1956
big kahuna1959
greenback1959
close out1962
curl1962
shore break1962
shoulder1962
soup1962
tube1962
wall1962
face1963
peak1963
pipeline1963
set1963
reef break1965
surfable wave1965
point break1966
green room1968
slide1968
barrel1975
left-hander1980
A-frame1992
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > water sports except racing > surfing > [noun] > surfer > specific types
rider1914
surf-bum1957
big kahuna1959
gremlin1961
hot dogger1961
kook1961
goofy foot1962
hodad1962
surfie1962
goofy footer1963
natural1965
goofy surfer1968
switchfoot1970
boogie boarder1979
grummet1986
waxhead1987
grom1988
wakeboarder1994
kitesurfer1995
1959 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 17 June e22/4 The Russian River Chamber of Commerce absolutely transformed the town of Guerneville into an Hawwaiian [sic] party scene with Jimmy (Gidget) Darren playing the big Kahuna, and sarongs replacing short shorts.
1987 St. Petersburg (Florida) Times (Nexis) 14 Aug. 1 d A credible mix of old-timers and young turks, they're all vying to be ‘big kahuna’ on the North Shore.
1994 Equinox Aug. 19/3 When the Big Kahuna rose up and came rolling toward me, I would paddle hard to match speed with it, execute a few deft course corrections, and surf right up to Dawson's feet.
2002 Sunset Sept. 40/1 Ready to unleash your inner big kahuna? Catch a wave at surf camp.
b. A person or thing of great importance or power; (also) a person in command, a boss. Frequently with the.
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the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [noun] > one who is important
persona1425
personagec1460
colossus1605
satrapon1650
bigwig1772
big man1789
butt-cut1806
tallboy1820
buzz-wig1854
great or high shot1861
celestial1874
pot1880
big stuff1883
importance1886
big wheel1893
mandarin1907
the (also a) big noise1909
hotty1910
big boy1918
biggie1926
hotshot1933
wheel1933
eminence1935
top hat1936
big or great white chief1937
Mr Big1940
big kahuna1966
1966 Anderson (Indiana) Sunday Herald 6 Nov. 24 (advt.) ALA is a Big Kahuna. In surf-ese, that's the boss man..the top dog. And, when it comes to helping go-getters ‘ride the crest’, the Anderson Loan is the Big Kahuna around here!
c1979–80 L. Bangs in L. Bangs & J. Morthland Mainlines, Blood Feasts, Bad Taste (2003) 321 There was never to be a chance of Jerry Brown succeeding Mr. Reagan as Big Kahuna to the fifty fading states.
1987 Washington Post (Nexis) 1 Oct. e1 The Heisman is college sports' big kahuna. It can make or break a career in sports promotion.
1992 San Fancisco Chron. (Nexis) 19 Apr. 47 He's the big kahoona,..the heaviest dude there.
2006 Flare (Electronic ed.) July 36 This 31-year-old..is the big kahuna behind his own label, Brushfire Records.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, December 2008; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1886