grand poobah

See also: Grand Poobah

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Pooh-Bah, the name of a character in Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera The Mikado (1885).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡɹænd ˈpuːbɑː/
  • Audio (General Australian):(file)

Noun

grand poobah (plural grand poobahs)

  1. (idiomatic, colloquial, often humorous) A person who is important or high-ranking.
    He once played golf with the grand poobah of their company.
  2. An extremely pompous person.

Synonyms

Further reading

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