die erste Geige spielen
to call the tune; to play first fiddle
Origin
From musical life: in the ensemble or string quartet the first violin leads the melody and everyone else follows it. Since the 17th c. used figuratively for leading roles.
Building blocks
Words in this expression
Grammar that uses this word
- Ordinal numbers 1-19 (-te)Ordinalzahlen 1-19 (-te)
- Dates in the nominative (der erste Mai)Datum im Nominativ (der erste Mai)
- Temporal clause with 'nachdem' (after)Temporalsatz mit 'nachdem'
- Connector 'wohingegen' (whereas)Konnektor 'wohingegen'
- Apposition and parenthetical insertionApposition und Einschub
- Pronoun 'wir' (we, nominative)Pronomen 'wir' (Nominativ)
Examples
In diesem will er die Geige .
In this team he naturally wants to call the tune.