More trivia: origin of the wheel group

[Gary W. Swearingen]

Andrew Boothman <andrew at cream.org> writes:

> The only place I can remember hearing the term, "big wheel", before is
> in a Simpson's episode where Milhouse describes his dad as a, "big
> wheel down at the cracker factory", or something like that!

I wonder if that shouldn't have been "big wheel down at the cheese
factory".

But that's exactly how the term is most often used -- referring to
a high-level executive.

I very much doubt if the term started with, or was even popularized
by, the Big Wheel tricycle which came out in the mid '60s, but I don't
know for sure.  It'd sure be nice to have an OED or other etymological
reference book.