fat cat


noun Slang.

a wealthy person from whom large political campaign contributions are expected.
any wealthy person, especially one who has become rich quickly through questionable dealings.
an important, influential, or famous person.
a person who has become lazy or self-satisfied as the result of privilege or advantage.

Origin of fat cat

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30

Example sentences from the Web for fat cat

British Dictionary definitions for fat cat

fat cat

noun

slang
  1. a very wealthy or influential person
  2. (as modifier)a fat-cat industrialist

Idioms and Phrases with fat cat

fat cat

A wealthy and privileged person, as in This neighborhood, with its million-dollar estates, is full of fat cats. This term originally meant “a rich contributor to a political campaign,” and while this usage persists, it now is often applied more broadly, as in the example. [Colloquial; 1920s]