rule the roost

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Related to rule the roost: On a par, come off, in line with, come to terms with, worse for wear

roost

(ro͞ost)

1. A place where winged animals, especially birds or bats, rest or sleep.

2. A group of animals in a roost.

3. A place for temporary rest or sleep: "One corner of the Panhandle served as a roost for outlaws, thieves, and killers" (Timothy Egan).

intr.v. roost·ed, roost·ing, roosts

1. To rest or sleep on a perch or in a roost.

2. To rest or sleep: "We roosted high on a hill with a bottle of cheap wine and a blanket" (Julie Auer).

Idioms:

come home to roost

To have repercussions or aftereffects, especially unfavorable ones: The consequences of your mistake will eventually come home to roost.

rule the roost Informal

To be in charge; dominate: In this house my parents rule the roost.

[Middle English rooste, from Old English hrōst.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

rule the roost

- Was first "rule the roast," as it referred to the master of the house who sat at the head of the table.

roost

(ruːst) noun

a branch etc on which a bird rests at night.

verb

(of birds) to sit or sleep on a roost.

ˈrooster noun

(especially American) a farmyard cock.

rule the roost

to be the person in a group, family etc whose orders, wishes etc are obeyed.

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References in classic literature ?

And force is a crime in the eyes of the fools, the weak and the silly who rule the roost. You are mediocre.

View in context

Years ago Town were one of the top clubs in the country but fortunes do change and money now seems to rule the roost.

Town players must show their Terrier fighting spirit

nawaz Sharif is the most popular leader of the country and he will continue to rule the roost in politics and the party, he added.

Nawaz can't be excluded from politics

UAE Prince failed to rule the roost in the Buckhounds Stakes at Ascot.

Saddle Sore Sir John Lavery; Joe Reilly's

Shall we let them rule the roost On what's our own, As with cobbled constitution They lay down what we must do?

POEM OF THE DAY

BIRDS OF A FEATHER ITV 8.30pm With Tracey away, Sharon (Pauline Quirke, right) is out to rule the roost. First up?

3TO SEE

TV advertising won't rule the roost for much longer, according to new projections from Forrester Research, which predict that in just two years, spending on digital marketing will exceed that on TV.

Mobile turning digital into an ad monster: sector will draw more than $46 billion in spending by 19, analyst says

Traditional media may still rule the roost in the Middle East, but surely more effort should be made to innovate and create standout digital work.

Will anxiety and despair turn to elation and triumph?

For, as made clear by Councillor James McKay, Cabinet Member for a Green, Safe and Smart City, it sends out a clear message that the authorities will not tolerate thugs who try to rule the roost in otherwise decent neighbourhoods.

Those who make lives of others so miserable must be made to pay; WE SAY

Llandudno continue to rule the roost as they put struggling Denbigh to the sword, winning by seven wickets.

Bridge keep up pressure at top; NORTH WALES

Until then, rugby will continue to rule the roost, and football doesn't come close.

National sport stays; & COMMENT DEBATE YOUR LETTERS TO THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER OF WALES