bigfoot

bigfoot (third-person singular simple present bigfoots, present participle bigfooting, simple past and past participle bigfooted)

1. (transitive, informal, sometimes capitalized) To control or manage forcefully; to exercise authority over.
   • 1997 July 28, Jill Smolowe; et al, “AT&T Unplugs a CEO-To-Be”, in Time:

     Most recently, Allen bigfooted Walter out of the way to explore a merger with SBC Communications, Inc., the largest of the regional Bells.

   • 2002 August 7, Joanne Wasserman; Alison Gendar, “School Chief Seeks No. 2”, in New York Daily News, retrieved 27 May 2009:

     "Joel is out to get the best and brightest. It is his team to build," Walcott said, his comments appearing to reject speculation that Bloomberg was bigfooting the deputy search.

   • 2008 February 26, Howard Kurtz, “Wardrobe Wars”, in Washington Post, retrieved 27 May 2009:

     Clinton is a terrible manager of people. . . . Her White House, if we can glean anything from the campaign, would be a secretive nest of well-fed yes-people, an uncontrollable egomaniac spouse able and willing to bigfoot anyone if he wants to . . . and a drizzle of dreary hacks.

2. (intransitive, informal, sometimes capitalized) To behave in an authoritative, commanding manner.
   • 2006 July 26, Ron Suskind, “FRONTLINE: News War Interviews”, in PBS.com, retrieved 27 May 2009:

     Later, Dick Cheney was Bigfooting around the West Wing, looking for heads.

• (control or manage forcefully): push around
• (behave in an authoritative manner): pull the strings, swagger