ENGLISH
REFERENCE

grand poobah

idiom
Meaning

A person who is important or high-ranking.


Origin

first recorded 19th c.

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

Examples
SIMPLE

He acts like the grand poobah of the office.

CONTEXTUAL

The local grand poobah decided to close the park for the entire weekend without asking anyone.

COMPLEX

Despite his lack of actual authority, he carried himself with the self-importance of a grand poobah during the board meeting.

Anchors to
Related idioms2entries
  1. 01

    grand scheme

    The totality of the situation approached objectively; the big picture.

  2. 02

    grand total

    The entire or final sum.

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