big man on campus noun a socially prominent student US,1934 Initially used with respect, but often in later years with irony, if not scorn.
“All the Big Men on Campus are wearing them. Where’ve you been?” “In the library,” I said, naming a place not frequented by Big Men on Campus. — Max Shulman, TheManyLovesofDobieGillis, p. 40, 1951