Idiom
high on the totem pole
Meaning
Accorded relatively high importance.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“Safety is high on the totem pole for this company.”
“Because the project deadline is next week, finishing the report is high on the totem pole for our team.”
“In a competitive industry where efficiency dictates success, reducing operational costs remains high on the totem pole for the board of directors.”
Examples
simple
“Safety is high on the totem pole for this company.”
contextual
“Because the project deadline is next week, finishing the report is high on the totem pole for our team.”
complex
“In a competitive industry where efficiency dictates success, reducing operational costs remains high on the totem pole for the board of directors.”
Origin
Derived from totem poles, traditional sculptures of wood made by American Indians, usually with several figures carved one above the other. The vertical order was mistakenly perceived by the non-Indians to correspond with the figures' rank of importance.
Key words
Related idioms
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