tin-pot dictator
See also: tinpot dictator
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From tin pot (“cheap metal disposable container”) + dictator.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
tin-pot dictator (plural tin-pot dictators)
- An autocratic ruler with little political credibility, typically having delusions of grandeur.
- 1995, Edward S. Herman, Triumph of the Market: Essays on Economics, Politics, and the Media, South End Press, →ISBN, page 197:
- Broder did mention in passing that the Reagan administration had earlier supported the “tin-pot dictator” and drug trader Manuel Noriega, but he never mentioned George Shultz's presence and sanctioning of the fraudulent Panamanian election of 1984, which left Noriega in charge.
Usage notes edit
Although still used today, this is a pejorative term coined in the days of the British Empire, when it referred to the Victorian innovation of the tin pot, an inexpensive metal container, the forerunner of the tin can. Though neither the tin-can nor tin pots are used today due to their toxicity, the term is still apt.