mover and shaker



mover and shaker

A person who wields power and influence in a particular activity or field, as in He's one of the movers and shakers in the art world. At first the two nouns referred specifically to God, alluding to the belief that a divine force was responsible for all events. The current usage refers only to human beings. [Second half of 1800s]
See also: and, mover, shaker

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
XzavierZAY-vee-ər, ZAY-vyər, ig-ZAY-vee-ərEnglish (Modern)
Deonte-African American (Modern)
Darragh-Irish
LotharLO-tahr (German)German, Ancient Germanic
Paulinha-Portuguese
Finnuala-Irish, Irish Mythology