in chief
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English
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Adjective
[edit]- (after a noun) Executive, the highest in command.
- (after a noun, humorous) The chief example; the worst offender.
- No, it can't be Bill who gets assigned to this task. That dude is the slacker in chief around here.
- (heraldry) Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see in, chief. In the chief of the escutcheon.
- 1844, John Burke, Bernard Burke, Encyclopædia of Heraldry, Or General Armory of England, Scotland and Ireland, page 375:
- Erm. a fesse betw. two demi lions in chief and three mascles in base gu.
- 1874, John Woody Papworth, An Alphabetical Dictionary of Coats of Arms Belonging to Families in Great Britain and Ireland: Forming an Extensive Ordinary of British Armorials : Upon an Entirely New Plan ..., page 1070:
- Arg. a saltire betw. a cross-gate in chief and in base and a crescent in each flank gu. / HEGENS, Scotland. Arg. a saltire engr. betw. a mullet in chief two crescents in flanks and a cross crosslet fitchy in base gu.
Usage notes
[edit]- In the sense "executive", usually used after nouns denoting an occupation.