totem pole

English

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Noun

totem pole (plural totem poles)

  1. (sculpture) A Native American sculpture found in the Pacific Northwest, made by carving trees, and usually displaying symbolic figures that represent clan lineage, cultural beliefs, or historical events.
    • 1949 June 26, Ann Hightower, “If Paris Is Can-Can, New York Is Tom-Tom”, in The New York Times‎[1], →ISSN, page 167:
      Many visitors to France will go back to the States after a three months' fling of night spots and sight-seeing without remarking that can-can girls and champagne play about the same part in French life today as the tom-tom and totem pole in American life.
  2. (figurative) A hierarchy or ranking of importance.
    The teacher's pet was fairly high on the class totem pole.

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