have the world by the tail

verb

To possess great influence and opportunity.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verbhave the world by the tail (third-person singular simple present has the world by the tail, present participle having the world by the tail, simple past and past participle had the world by the tail)

present singular third person has the world by the tail · participle present having the world by the tail · participle past had the world by the tail · past had the world by the tail · alternative have the world by the bag · alternative have the world by the balls · alternative have the world by the neck · alternative have the world by the nuts · alternative have the world by the testicles · alternative have the world on a string · alternative have the world by the tail on a downhill pull

  1. idiomaticTo possess great influence and opportunity.

    "Webb thinks he's got the world by the tail for a downhill pull. I'll show him."

    1919, William MacLeod Raine, chapter 15, in A Man Four-Square
    2 more examples

    No nation had the World by the tail this week, but the rear end of the British lion was within measurable distance of Adolf Hitler's grasp.

    1938 February 28, “Give Us Colonies!!”, in Time, retrieved 07 Aug 2013

    "You think you're set. You think everything's taken care of. I thought I had the world by the tail."

    1992 September 24, Sara Rimer, “Company News: Hearing the Fears, With No Answers”, in New York Times, retrieved 07 Aug 2013
Cite this entry
APA

have the world by the tail. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20the%20world%20by%20the%20tail

MLA

“have the world by the tail.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20the%20world%20by%20the%20tail. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “have the world by the tail,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20the%20world%20by%20the%20tail.

Source: have the world by the tail on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.