big name

big name

1. A person of great importance, fame, success, or reputation in a particular field or area. I would make sure she knows who you are, she's one of the big names in computer design. After the success of his first novel, he instantly became a big name in literary circles.
2. adjective Of great importance, fame, success, or reputation in a particular field or area. Often hyphenated. We've got a lot of big-name singers who perform at our annual charity event.
See also: big, name
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

big name

1. n. a famous and important person. Lots of big names were there lending their support to the cause.
2. and big-name mod. famous; important. Some big-name star I’ve never heard of was there pretending to serve dinner.
See also: big, name

big-name

verb
See big name
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • big-name
  • make big
  • make it big
  • legend
  • legend in own time
  • lifetime
  • a legend in (one's) own lifetime
  • a legend in (one's) own time
  • a legend in their own lifetime
  • a living legend
References in periodicals archive
"There needs to be action to increase footfall in the town because without that we won't be able to bring any big names in.
There is no doubt that some people do want Harrods and John Lewis in the city, however, most citizens of Coventry are far too canny to waste good money on big names when the same quality can be obtained much more cheaply elsewhere.
Former Davis Cup players Greg Rusedski and Tim Henman have been linked but Draper said: "We don't need a big name, we want somebody who is embedded in British tennis."
Other big names the club has recently attracted include DJ Kerri Chandler, Jazzy Jeff (from the Fresh Prince) and Louis Benedetti.
While the big name British authors are picking up awards overseas, the British based literature awards have all been about recognising new talent.
This is Womb, a four-level, subterranean super-club where big name, highly paid foreign DJs whip an electric crowd of 20- to 35-year-old students, workers, musicians, actors, models, fashionista and other brazenly beautiful people into a rhythmic frenzy under the biggest mirror ball in the country.
Khan is no stranger to big name fights and is repeatedly mentioned as a possible opponent to the likes of Floyd Mayweather Jr.
However, there is more in store as a list of titles from both big name and indie studios have been announced.
Haidara told the Chronicle: "Florian is a big name in France.
But one big name isn't enough to hold up a show, that's for sure.
"And by the way, the driver market is closed anyway for 2012 so our priority is not to have a big name in the car but to have a fast car which can then be given to a big name to win races.
I will do everything I can to deliver a big name. We haven't sat down to even think about managers or lists of managers.
The presence of big name retailers reflects the changing tastes of a neighborhood that now boasts roughly 20 million s/f of office space, including an impressive concentration of some of Midtown's newest and most striking glass towers right at the heart of the bowtie.
This was the stage two years ago when big name after big name crashed out, leaving the way open for criticism of both the circuit and competition and also, unfortunately, ultimate winner Allen Gift.
W H Smith, Ottakar's and Waterstone's have reported good starts with new books from big name authors such as Stephen King and John le Carre helping to boost sales, along with interest in the BBC's The Big Read, which has led to big increases in sales for books such as 'A Catcher in the Rye' and 'Birdsong'.