Have big shoes to fill means you're taking over from someone who did the job brilliantly, and everyone will compare you. Picture stepping into a giant's shoes and trying to fill them. The phrase praises the person who left and admits the pressure on the newcomer. In British English you'll also hear big boots to fill.
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have big shoes to fill; UK also: have big boots to fill
- The new conductor has big shoes to fill after her much-loved predecessor retires.
- Whoever replaces Omar will have big shoes to fill.
- I knew I had big shoes to fill when I took over the community workshop.
What changed
First versionThe new captain has big shoes to fill in.
RevisionThe new captain has big shoes to fill.
Fill in is a very common pair: fill in a form, fill in the gaps. So in slips onto the end almost automatically. But in this idiom fill comes last, with nothing after it: has big shoes to fill. Fill in for someone is something else, covering for a colleague for a while, so in was removed.
A tall order is simply a hard task, whoever did it before: Finishing by Friday is a tall order. Big shoes to fill is always about a specific person who came before you and raised the bar. Fill in for someone means covering for a colleague for a short time, with no comparison: Can you fill in for me on Monday?
Your turn
Complete the idiom about replacing an excellent predecessor: The new manager has big shoes to ___.
Show the answer
fill — The idiom is have big shoes to fill: you have to fill your predecessor's shoes, which means growing to their level. Wear sounds logical with shoes, but it isn't used in this expression.
Write about someone who took over from a much-loved teacher, coach or boss, and why it won't be easy for them.
The new coach has big shoes to fill: the previous one turned a losing team into champions.
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