big daddy: Meaning and Definition of

big' dad'dy

Pronunciation: [key]
— Informal. (often caps.)Informal.
  1. a man regarded as the paternalistic head of a family.
  2. the founder or a leading member of a company, organization, movement, etc.: the big daddy of soil conservation.
  3. the federal government: to thank big daddy for the tax cut.
  4. grandfather.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.