Pocket general

Posted by Victoria S Dennis May 05, 2008 at 21:50:In reply to Pocket general posted by Brian from Shawnee on May 05, 2008 at 13:13:

Where does the term "pocket general" come from and what does it mean? e.g. 'He led his team like a pocket general'.

In American football the quarterback is often thought of as a field general in command of troops, and the pocket is the area behind the line of scrimmage between the two offensive tackles where the quarterback drops back to throw a forward pass.

A "pocket" version of anything is a miniature version suitable for carrying in one's pocket. Thus, a "pocket Venus" is a small beautiful woman, and a "pocket general" is a small but extremely able leader. (VSD)