ENGLISH
REFERENCE

power lunch

idiom
Meaning

A working lunch at which bosses make business decisions or hold important discussions.


Origin

first recorded 20th c.

Coined by American journalist Lee Eisenberg in 1979, in the Esquire article America’s Most Powerful Lunch.

Examples
SIMPLE

They are having a power lunch to discuss the new contract.

CONTEXTUAL

The CEO invited the potential investors to a power lunch at a quiet, expensive restaurant to finalize the merger.

COMPLEX

While the rest of the staff ate at their desks, the executives held a power lunch to determine the future direction of the company.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    brown power

    The production of electricity made from conventional sources, such as coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear power.

  2. 02

    come to power

    To be installed in high office, for example as a king, president, or prime minister.

  3. 03

    eat someone's lunch

    To best or defeat someone thoroughly; to make short work of.

  4. 04

    free lunch

    Something obtained without any payment, obligation or effort.

  5. 05

    grey power

    The collective political, economic, and social influence of senior citizens, especially when they are mobilized by a common interest.

  6. 06

    out to lunch

    Clueless, inattentive, or careless.

  7. 07

    poor power

    Limited ability.

  8. 08

    power behind the throne

    Someone who appears to be without special status, but who has great covert influence on a person in authority.

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