Meaning: awheel

adj.
traveling by wheeled vehicle such as bicycle or automobile e.g.

wheel Idiom, Proverb

a big wheel

a person with power, a big shot Bing has been acting like a big wheel since he got promoted.

a fifth wheel

a useless object, an unnecessary device The team already had two guards, so I felt like a fifth wheel.

as useless as a fifth wheel

not useful, not needed, redundant, (four wheels are sufficient) I sat there watching the four of them play bridge, and feeling as useless as a fifth wheel.

at the wheel

driving a car, steering a car or truck Who was at the wheel when the car went off the road?

big gun/cheese/wheel/wig

an important person, a leader The new director was a big wheel in his previous company but is not so important now.

big wheel

(See a big wheel)

fifth wheel

(See a fifth wheel)

hell-on-wheels

a short-tempered, nagging or crabby person She is hell-on-wheels in the morning so you should be careful of her.

put your shoulder to the wheel

begin to work If you want a share of the profits, put your shoulder to the wheel.

set of wheels

vehicle, car, truck, wheels The Ford needs a lot of repairs. I need a new set of wheels.

shoulder to the wheel

(See put your shoulder to the wheel)

spin your wheels

waste effort, not progress If you don't have a career goal you'll just spin your wheels.

the squeaky wheel gets the grease

the person who complains loudest gets service Our clerks put up this sign: The squeaky wheel gets the grease!

the wheels fall off

it breaks, it fails, fall apart When the coach is away, our team loses. The wheels fall off!

useless as a fifth wheel

(See as useless as a fifth wheel)

wheeler-dealer

a person who is good at making sales and deals, a wheeler-dealer Cliff is a wheeler-dealer in the energy industry. He brings buyers and sellers together.

wheels

vehicle (car, truck etc.), set of wheels Jeff, can I borrow your wheels? My sister needs a ride to the mall.

wheels fall off

(See the wheels fall off)

three-wheel motion

ride upon three wheels with a low rider car. You can see it in videos for "Ain't nuthin but a G thang" and Today was a good day" [1993]. One of the back corners of the car is really close to the ground and the opposite corner is picked up off the road

wheels of steel

turntables

wheel and deal

Idiom(s): wheel and deal

Theme: BARGAIN

to take part in clever but sometimes dishonest or immoral business deals. (Fixed order.)
• John loves to wheel and deal in the money markets.
• Jack got tired of all the wheeling and dealing of big business and retired to run a pub in the country.

spin one's wheels

Idiom(s): spin one's wheels

Theme: WASTE - EFFORT

to be in motion, but get nowhere. (Slang.)
• This is a terrible job. I'm just spinning my wheels and not getting anywhere.
• Get organized and try to accomplish something. Stop spinning your wheels!

put one's shoulder to the wheel

Idiom(s): put one's shoulder to the wheel

Theme: EFFORT

to get busy.
• You won't accomplish anything unless you put your shoulder to the wheel.
• I put my shoulder to the wheel and finished the job quickly.

Asleep at the wheel

If someone is asleep at the wheel, they are not doing their job or taking their responsibilities very carefully. 'Asleep at the switch' is an alternative.

Reinvent the wheel

If someone reinvents the wheel, they waste their time doing something that has already been done by other people, when they could be doing something more worthwhile.

Set the wheels in motion

When you set the wheels in motion, you get something started.

Squeaky wheel gets the grease

(USA) When people say that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, they mean that the person who complains or protests the loudest attracts attention and service.

big cheese|big|big gun|big shot|big wheel|big wig|

n., slang An important person; a leader; a high official; a person of high rank. Bill had been a big shot in high school. John wanted to be the big cheese in his club.
Compare: WHOLE CHEESE.

big wheel|big|wheel

n., informal An influential or important person who has the power to do things and has connections in high places. Uncle Ferdinand is a big wheel in Washington; maybe he can help you with your problem.

grease the wheels|grease|wheel|wheels

v. phr., informal To do something or act to make something go smoothly or happen in the way that is wanted. Mr. Davis asked a friend to grease the wheels so he could borrow money from the bank. William's father tried to grease the wheels for him to get a new job.

hell-on-wheels|hell|wheel|wheels

n., slang A short-tempered, nagging, or crabby person especially one who makes another unhappy by constantly criticizing him even when he has done nothing wrong. Finnegan complains that his wife is hell on wheels; he is considering getting a divorce.

put one's shoulder to the wheel|put|shoulder|wheel

v. phr. To make a great effort yourself or with others; try hard; cooperate. The effort to get a new high school succeeded because everyone put his shoulder to the wheel. The company was failing in business until a new manager put his shoulder to the wheel.

spin one's wheels|spin|wheel|wheels

v. phr. 1. Said of cars stuck in snow or mud whose wheels are turning without the car moving forward. There was so much snow on the driveway that my car's wheels were spinning in it and we couldn't get going. 2. To exert effort in a job without making any progress. I've been working for the firm for two decades, but I feel I am merely spinning my wheels.

wheel and deal|deal|wheel

v. phr., slang To make many big plans or schemes; especially with important people in government and business; in matters of money and influence; handle money or power for your own advantage; plan important matters in a smart or skillful way and sometimes in a tricky, or not strictly honest way. Mr. Smith made a fortune by wheeling and dealing on the stock market. The senator got this law passed by wheeling and dealing in Congress.

wheeler-dealer n. phr., slang A person with power and control. The biggest wheeler-dealer in the state has many friends in high places in business and government and is a rich man himself.

wheelhorse

n. phr. A reliable and industrious worker on whom one may depend. Jake is such a good worker that he is the wheelhorse of our tiny firm.

cog in the wheel

cog in the wheel
Also, cog in the machine. One who holds a minor but necessary post in a large organization, as in Frank knew he was just a cog in the wheel of this giant corporation. This term alludes to the role of the mechanical cog, one of the teeth on a wheel or gear that, by engaging other teeth, transmits or receives motion. Used figuratively since about 1930, it sometimes is put as small cog in a large wheel, emphasizing a person's lack of importance.

grease the wheels

grease the wheels
Also, oil the wheels. Make things run smoothly, as in You can count on Ben to grease the wheels so we'll be waited on promptly. This metaphoric expression transfers literal lubrication to figurative. [Mid-1600s]

hell on wheels

hell on wheels
Tough, aggressive, wild, or mean, as in Watch out for the boss—he's hell on wheels this week. This expression originated with the building of the Union Pacific Railroad in the 1860s, when it denoted the last town on the line, which was carried on freight cars as the track was extended. The town consisted mainly of tents occupied by construction gangs, liquor dealers, gamblers, and other camp followers known for their rough and often vicious ways.

invent the wheel

invent the wheel
see reinvent the wheel.

small cog in a large wheel

small cog in a large wheel
see cog in the wheel.

wheel

wheel
In addition to the idioms beginning with wheel, also see asleep at the switch; at the wheel; big cheese; cog in the wheel; fifth wheel; grease the wheels; hell on wheels; put one's shoulder to the wheel; reinvent the wheel; set in motion; spin one's wheels; squeaky wheel gets the grease.
* * *
- wheel and deal
- wheels in motion
- wheels within wheels

wheels in motion

wheels in motion
see under set in motion.

wheels within wheels

wheels within wheels
Complex interacting processes, agents, or motives, as in It's difficult to find out just which government agency is responsible; there are wheels within wheels. This term, which now evokes the complex interaction of gears, may derive from a scene in the Bible (Ezekiel 1:16): “Their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.” [c. 1600]