tin god
A false god, particularly a petty tyrant, a person who abuses or exceeds their authority over others in petty ways.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The new manager acts like a tin god in the office.”
“Everyone avoids the supervisor because he acts like a tin god, demanding total obedience for no reason.”
“The local official ruled his small district like a tin god, ignoring the law to satisfy his own ego.”
From the figurative use of tin to denote a substance that is worthless or counterfeit in comparison to silver, combined with the application of god to describe a mere idol.
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bow down before the porcelain god
Synonym of worship the porcelain god (“to vomit into a toilet bowl”).
- 02
call someone everything but a child of God
To call someone many abusive names.
- 03
do exactly what it says on the tin
To do what is described or what one would expect, with no further explanation needed.
- 04
God forbid
indicating that the occurrence of something is very undesirable
- 05
God forfend
Don't let it be.
- 06
God is in the detail
Expresses the idea that whatever one does should be done thoroughly; i.e. details are important.
- 07
god that failed
A notable let-down or flop; a concept, product, or person that has failed to live up to very high expectations.
- 08
God's eye
A decorative diamond-shaped item woven from yarn, associated with Mexican and Central and South American Native American peoples.
Last updated August 10, 2026