sleeping giant

English

Etymology

A metaphor, perhaps made popular by the 1970 film Tora! Tora! Tora!, wherein it was attributed to Isoroku Yamamoto: "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve."

Noun

sleeping giant ‎(plural sleeping giants)

1. (idiomatic) Someone or something with great, latent strength.
   • 1926, "The Educational screen: Volume 5", quoting CE Mahaffey, President, Department of Visual Education, Northwestern Ohio Teachers,

     "There is a sleeping giant in education that is just beginning to awaken."

   • 2010 circa April 30, Sophia Tareen for the Associated Press, "Anger over Ariz. immigration law drives US rallies", as reprinted in USA Today [1]:

     Angered by a controversial Arizona immigration law, tens of thousands of protesters […] rallied in cities nationwide […] .

     "I want to thank the governor of Arizona because she's awakened a sleeping giant," said labor organizer John Delgado, who attended a rally in New York where authorities estimated 6,500 gathered.

References

• Merriam Webster's Dictionary; sleeping giant
• 12/7/1941: the Sleeping Giant Awakens