grand scheme

grand scheme

The long term; the complete picture of something. Typically used in the phrase "in the grand scheme of things." I know you're worried about getting a bad grade on this test, but you're such a great student that I doubt it will matter in the grand scheme of things.
See also: grand, scheme
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • eggs is eggs
  • (one's) best foot forward
  • best foot forward
  • How long is a piece of string?
  • from my cold, dead hands
  • how/what about...?
  • how about
  • (as) sure as eggs (is eggs)
  • sure as eggs is eggs
  • get thee behind me
References in classic literature
The details of the grand scheme which had suggested themselves in outline only, up to that period, occurred to me, in all their masterly combination, at the sight of the sleeping face.
My grand scheme, unassailable hitherto, had its weak place now--no efforts on my part could alter the fatal event of the 25th.
For a long time she talked to me earnestly of a grand scheme on which she had set her heart, and ever and anon she tapped on me as if to get admittance for her ideas.
This small family of birds is one of those which, from its varied relations to other families, although at present offering only difficulties to the systematic naturalist, ultimately may assist in revealing the grand scheme, common to the present and past ages, on which organized beings have been created.
The facts, however, will prove to be linked and banded together by one grand scheme, devised and conducted by a master spirit; one set of characters, also, continues throughout, appearing occasionally, though sometimes at long intervals, and the whole enterprise winds up by a regular catastrophe; so that the work, without any labored attempt at artificial construction, actually possesses much of that unity so much sought after in works of fiction, and considered so important to the interest of every history.
IF my memory serves me right, Sir John Hall took over Newcastle United as part of a grand scheme to make the club a hub of elitist teams in various sports.
Summary: Pulwama and the subsequent airstrikes against targets in Pakistan may have turned counter-productive in the grand scheme of things.
These are not expensive in the grand scheme of fashion trainers.
The analyst's base case is that this delays the trial end date by 2-3 weeks, which in the grand scheme of things is "not a big deal." Early feedback from patients and physicians is that Control-IQ is "a game changer," so with 71% of patients in the trial already complete, McKim does not expect this to impact the data or adoption in a negative way.
"But what my mum has been able to do is almost bigger in the grand scheme of things.
In the grand scheme of things, it has zero marginal impact on anything related to gun violence.
Some people in Dunblane seem to let others do the hard work and then help themselves to what is going to be a grand scheme for the majority to enjoy.
"In the grand scheme of things we're Six Nations champions," he said.
Oh said he wasn't sure if Raymond actually said, "Sorry," to him, but it didn't matter in the grand scheme of things.
In a grand scheme of things, she's just a pawn to the intricate political game waged by the current administration.