A person who is doing extremely well and is expected to go far — usually in a career, sometimes at school. It carries a strong feeling of speed and of the future: a high-flier is not just good, but rising fast, being promoted early, picked out young as someone who will reach the top. Companies talk about hiring 'high-fliers', schools about their 'high-fliers'. It is common in British English, in newspapers and workplaces, and it is informal enough that you would not use it in a job application about yourself. The tone is usually admiring, but it can turn: because the picture is of flying, English loves to bring the flier down — 'a high-flier who came crashing down' — so writers often use it just before telling you about a fall. It is also spelled 'high-flyer', and both spellings are correct and common; 'flyer' is probably now the more usual one. Related to it, 'high-flying' does the same work as an adjective before a noun: a high-flying lawyer.