ENGLISH
REFERENCE

stuffed shirt

idiom
Meaning

One who is pompous or self-important, especially one who is either officious or punctilious in a position of authority.


Examples
SIMPLE

He is such a stuffed shirt at work.

CONTEXTUAL

Nobody invited the manager to the party because he is a total stuffed shirt who ruins the fun.

COMPLEX

The board of directors was filled with stuffed shirts who cared more about rigid protocol than the actual progress of the company.

Anchors to
Related idioms5entries
  1. 01

    get one's shirt out

    To become angry or annoyed; to lose one's temper.

  2. 02

    lose one's shirt

    To lose all of one's money; to go broke; to undergo financial ruin or disaster.

  3. 03

    stuffed like a turkey

    Very full from overeating.

  4. 04

    stuffed to the gills

    Completely full.

  5. 05

    the shirt off one's back

    Everything currently in the possession of a person.

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