Why this word is great
TAIPAN — [Noun] A foreign-born senior business executive or entrepreneur operating in China or Hong Kong, historically a powerful figure in colonial trade; or a large, fast-moving, and highly venomous snake of the genus Oxyuranus native to Australia and New Guinea. From Cantonese 大班 (daai⁶ baan¹, literally "big class" or "big manager"), meaning a supreme overseer or big shot, akin to the Japanese-derived term tycoon. Unlike "tycoon" (a general term for a wealthy magnate anywhere) or "expatriate" (a neutral descriptor for anyone living abroad), *taipan* denotes a specific, potent authority wielded from within a foreign sphere. It is the shadow of a panama hat cast across ledgers in a Shanghai godown, the swift, decisive strike of a corporate takeover, and the silent, coiling potency of the creature that shares its name—two apex predators, separated by hemisphere, united by a name that means you are at the top of a food chain someone else calls home.