# lord of the flies

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/lord-of-the-flies
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

a ruler over a worthless kingdom; leader of a meaningless microcosm.

## Examples

- He acts like the lord of the flies in his messy room.
- The manager treats his tiny, failing office like he is the lord of the flies.
- Isolated on the abandoned island, the boy convinced himself he was the lord of the flies, ruling over a kingdom of dust and decay.

## Origin

Calque of Biblical Hebrew בַּעַל זְבוּב (baʿal zəḇûḇ, “fly-lord, Beelzebub”), which in turn is a mistranslation of the name of the Semitic devil Baal-zevuv.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.