Lord Privy Seal

English

Etymology 1

Proper noun

Lord Privy Seal

  1. (politics, UK) The fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, the position is now considered to be sinecure.
    Synonyms: Keeper of the Privy Seal, Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal
Usage notes
  • The office does not confer membership of the House of Lords, meaning that the holder of the office will not necessarily be a lord.

Etymology 2

From a sketch on the British satire show The Frost Report in the 1960s, poking fun at the television broadcasting practice of displaying images on screen to accompany spoken monologues. In the sketch, the words Lord Privy Seal in a news report are illustrated with a photo of a lord, photo of an privy (outhouse), and photo of a seal (pinniped) balancing a ball on its nose.

Adjective

Lord Privy Seal (comparative more Lord Privy Seal, superlative most Lord Privy Seal)

  1. (British, television, humorous) Of images, that match words too closely or in an overly literal manner.
    Not bad, but it's a bit Lord Privy Seal.

Further reading

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