panjandrum
/pænˈd͡ʒæn.dɹəm/ noun
Forms panjandrums panjandra
- noun An important, powerful or influential person; muckamuck.
- noun A self-important or pretentious person.
- noun (military, historical) A massive, rocket-propelled, explosive-laden cart designed by the British military during World War II.
Synonyms
baron big cheese big enchilada big gun big kahuna big man big name big noise big shot bigwig big wheel boss grand poobah head honcho heavy hitter heavyweight high muckamuck high muckety-muck king of all one surveys king of the castle very important person VIP high-up dignitary
Etymology
Coined as a nonce word in the 18th century by British dramatist Samuel Foote.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “panjandrum”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details