What do you mean when you say....?

Question

What do you Americans mean when you say " the big kahuna " ?

Answer 1

Da Boss,,

Answer 2

I do believe that Kahuna is a huge type of wave found in Hawaii. So when we say the big Kahuna, we mean the biggest whatever. It usually refers to boss. I hope that this helps you.

Sincerely Yours, The Big Kahuna On Yahoo Answers

Answer 3

"Big kahuna" is a common slang term for the person in charge of something, or who has great skill and prowess at something. It comes from the Hawaiian word kahuna, meaning shaman or wizard.

* World famous swimmer Duke Kahanamoku is commonly referred to as "The Big Kahuna".

* In the movie Gidget, Cliff Robertson played a character called "The Big Kahuna".

* There was also a movie, released in 1999, called The Big Kahuna.

Answer 4

Kahuna is Hawaiian. It mean, the big boss, the main guy or the one with the most skill.

"The use of the term in reference to surfing can be traced back to the film Gidget (1959), in which 'The Big Kahuna', played by Cliff Robertson, was the leader of a group of surfers. The term then became commonplace in Beach Party films of the 1960s such as Beach Blanket Bingo, where the "Big Kahuna" was the best surfer on the beach."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kahuna

Answer 5

It would be the best person for the situation. If someone in your office is especially good at computers, one may call this person the Big Kahuna of computers.

Answer 6

Its an expression which is an indication of obtaining the grandest prize or being the "Daddy of them all".
For instance, if one goes fishing in the ocean, they don't just catch a little fish; they land a huge fish liked which they liken to a very great whale such as decribed in Herman Melville's classic story about a seaman obsessed with capturing a monsterous white whale called "Moby Dick". That's the big Kahuna.

Answer 7

first time i heard that was in the 60's. i want to say it started in the beach movies. they called the top surfer the big kahuna. it just means top guy, the best.

Answer 8

The mother of all.

I am the "big kahuna" of cars in my neighborhood, which means I have the best car in my neighborhood.

I am the "big kahuna" of math in my school. Means I am the best math geek in school.

Answer 9

That's a darn good question. It seems to be a west coast thing. Like L.A. You don't hear that in N.Y.C. I have no idea.
Perhaps it means something like the best or first place. Good luck on your linguistic quest.

Answer 10

The leader, the captain, the person in charge. It may also mean a slang reference to God, for all of the same reasons I listed.