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Difference between Low man and Low man on the totem pole

low man

1. (also: short man) a man of short stature:

  • Mr. Swan was a low man with short legs…. He was very strict in some respects, never sparing the rod.

2. a man without principles or morals:

  • Mrs. Young says he is such a low man he should not dine with her daughter.

3. smb. who has the least important position in an organization:

  • “He was a low man in the system. It really got boring for him,” Zach’s father said about his son’s job.

low man on the totem pole — = low man 3:

  • The night security position at the museum is a low-man-on-the-totem-pole job, but Larry’s willing to give it a try.

See also: high man on the totem pole / high-up man.