[Ads-l] tall-poppy syndrome

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Interesting topic, JL. English film director Alan Parker used "Tall
Poppy Syndrome" in 1980. Parker attributed the phrase to an unnamed
friend.

The OED discusses a pertinent anecdote about Tarquinius Superbus
within the entries for "tall poppy" and "poppy" (see further below).
Tarquinius Superbus cut off the heads of the tallest poppies in his
garden. There is no OED entry for "tall poppy syndrome".

Date: June 14, 1980
Newspaper: The Saturday Windsor Star
Newspaper Location: Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Article: Director left obscurity for Fame
Author: Bart Mills (Special to The Star)
Quote Page E7, Column 3
Database: Newspapers.com

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-windsor-star-tallpoppy/199195562/

[Begin excerpt]
"England is such a moaning and bitching country now. It's in the grip
of a desperate sickness. You return after working in America and
you're depressed by the sourness that permeates the people here. The
English don't like success.

"A friend of mine calls it The Tall Poppy Syndrome. If you're taller,
you get cut down. I'm supposed to be an English director. I always
thought I was proud to be English. I still am proud. But now I'm
wondering why."
[End excerpt]

[Begin OED excerpt]
tall poppy noun
Chiefly Australian.
A prominent or conspicuously successful person, organization, etc.;
frequently in the context of being brought down, or with the
implication of attracting hostility from envious detractors.

In quot. 1710 as part of an extended metaphor, with contextual
reference to the story of Tarquinius Superbus (see note at poppy n.
5).

1710 Some People talk of lopping tall Poppies.
Observator 2–6 December
[End OED excerpt]

[Begin OED excerpt]
poppy noun
5. figurative. A conspicuous or prominent person or thing, frequently
with implication of likely humiliation. Cf. tall poppy n. Obsolete.

[Probably with reference to the story of Tarquinius Superbus, who
silently demonstrated how to deal with potential enemies by cutting
off the heads of the tallest poppies in his garden: see Livy 1.54.6.]
[End OED excerpt]

Garson

On Sun, Jun 7, 2026 at 8:10 PM Jonathan Lighter
<00001aad181a2549-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> Artie (AI) sez: "On a purely cultural level, Hanks suffers from a
> phenomenon known as "tall poppy syndrome"—the tendency to criticize or
> resent people who are overwhelmingly praised."
>
> JL
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org