big wheel

big wheel
    n 1: an important influential person; "he thinks he's a big
         shot"; "she's a big deal in local politics"; "the Qaeda
         commander is a very big fish" [syn: {big shot}, {big gun},
         {big wheel}, {big cheese}, {big deal}, {big enchilada},
         {big fish}, {head honcho}]
    

47 Moby Thesaurus words for "big wheel":
      BMOC, Rasputin, Svengali, VIP, access, bad influence, big boy,
      big cheese, big gun, big noise, big shot, big-time operator,
      big-timer, bigwig, chief, court, eminence grise, five-percenter,
      friend at court, good influence, gray eminence, heavyweight,
      hidden hand, high-muck-a-muck, his nibs, influence,
      influence peddler, influencer, ingroup, key, kingmaker, lobby,
      lobbyist, lords of creation, man of influence, manipulator,
      open sesame, powers that be, pressure group, sinister influence,
      special interests, special-interest group, the Establishment,
      very important person, wheel, wheeler-dealer, wire-puller