More trivia: origin of the wheel group

[Ceri Davies]

On Mon, Dec 22, 2003 at 10:12:39AM -0800, Gary W. Swearingen wrote:
> 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.

My Cassell's Dictionary of Slang says that "big wheel" originates from
the 1930s:

	big wheel n. [1930s+] an important, influential person, esp. in
	     business. [the image of a smooth-running, powerful machine]

I seem to remember a reference somewhere stating that the term was due
to the fact that only important people could afford horse-drawn
carriages, but I can't cite (or find) it at the moment.

Ceri

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