Faire la pluie et le beau temps

Wouldn't you feel powerful if you could control the weather?  Faire la pluie et le beau temps - to make rain and nice weather - means exactly that.  The expression describes someone, or a group of people, who feel powerful enough to control everything they want.  A close English translation would be to play God.

The omnipotence implied in this expression does not necessarily apply to the entire universe.  It is usually restricted to a small domain as in the case of a foreman in his workshop, a manager in his company, or anyone running the show in a given situation.  The French expression is almost always used ironically and connotes a strong sense of entitlement on behalf of the person it characterizes.  If you wanted to be more neutral, you might say mener le jeu (to lead the game, call the shots) or faire la loi (to make the law.)

Origin

The expression dates back to the 18th century, and is thought to refer to the gods of ancient mythologies, who could change the weather on a whim whenever they saw fit.  Zeus, the Greek god of the sky and thunder, could smite his ennemies with a lightening bolt when he was angry.  Poseidon, the god of the sea, had the ability to create storms, earthquakes, floods and droughts to crush his opponents or punish us, mere mortals.

French writer Voltaire in Reflexion pour les sots (Reflection for the Fools) also reminds us that Paris patroness St Geneviève was supposed to have the power to stop torrential rains and catastrophic droughts.

With such powers, no wonder you can rule the roost, whatever that may be.

Examples

Ce sont les enfants qui font la pluie et le beau temps dans cette maison!
It's the kids who run the show in this house!

Elle fait toujours la pluie et le beau temps, quoi qu'on dise et quoi qu'on fasse.
She always makes the rules, whatever we say or do.