rule the roost

1. To dominate; to be in charge: “Even though Sally has five older brothers, she still rules the roost.”

Idioms and Phrases

Be in charge, boss others, as in In our division the chairman's son rules the roost . This expression originated in the 15th century as rule the roast , which was either a corruption of rooster or alluded to the person who was in charge of the roast and thus ran the kitchen. In the barnyard a rooster decides which hen should roost near him. Both interpretations persisted for 200 years. Thomas Heywood (c. 1630) put it as “Her that ruled the roast in the kitchen,” but Shakespeare had it in 2 Henry VI (1:1): “The new-made duke that rules the roast,” which is more ambiguous. In the mid-1700s roost began to compete with roast , and in the 1900s roost displaced roast altogether. Also see run the show .

Example Sentences

“I loved my sister dearly,” VanderMolen told me last week, “and it’s difficult to talk about her, but somehow she managed to let this husband of hers rule the roost and beat the kids. She had to know.”

From Los Angeles Times

This leafy patch of suburban London is at the heart of “Ted Lasso,” the award-winning Apple TV Plus show about fictional soccer club AFC Richmond, but two minutes strolling around the neighborhood make it abundantly clear that other English games rule the roost here.

From Washington Post

“In effect, they rule the roost, as the saying goes.”

From Washington Post

Ali Brigginshaw is a stalwart in the Australia team and will completely rule the roost when it comes to directing play in the middle of the park.

From BBC

That means public opinion, which Roe has peremptorily suppressed for almost 50 years, will rule the roost.

From Washington Post