称雄一时chēng xióng yī shí

have reigned supreme once; have ruled the roost for some time; have swaggered like a conquering hero for a time; once rule the roost
❍ 在一九二四年至一九二七年的革命战争中，共产党和国民党联合的南方革命势力，曾经由弱小的力量变得强大起来，取得了北伐的胜利； 而～的北洋军阀则被打倒了。(《毛泽东选集》299)In the Revolutionary War of 1924—1927,the revolutionary forces of the Communist-Kuomintang alliance in the south changed from being weak to being strong and won victory in the Northern Expedition,while the Northern war lords who once ruled the roost were overthrown.