The small department is the tail wagging the dog in this company.
tail wagging the dog
idiomA minor or secondary part of something which is controlling or dominating the whole or the main part.
Origin
first recorded 19th c.First used in the 1858 play Our American Cousin. The shortened form wag the dog, with a political sense, was popularized by the film Wag the Dog (1997). For the verb phrase, see the tail wags the dog.
When the interns start making all the major policy decisions, it is a clear case of the tail wagging the dog.
The committee feared that allowing a vocal minority to dictate the entire agenda would result in the tail wagging the dog, ultimately undermining the organization's core mission.
- 01
buy a dog and bark oneself
To do something that one has hired someone else to do.
- 02
call off the dogs
To ease up on after inflicting great punishment.
- 03
cat and dog life
An unhappy married life marked by arguments and disagreements.
- 04
chase one's tail
To busily try to perform many tasks or to repeatedly revise one's plans, especially with inefficient use of one's time and limited results.
- 05
chase tail
To be on the hunt for a (usually sexual) partner.
- 06
dog and cat
A team comprising one male and one female, either working as associates or having one as the second-in-command to the other.
- 07
dog and pony show
Any presentation or display that is overly contrived or intricate, while lacking real substance.
- 08
dog around
To follow diligently.
Last updated April 17, 2026