American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. An important or self-important person: "a panjandrum of the publishing business” ( Nat Hentoff).
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. An imaginary personage of much power or pretension; a burlesque potentate, plenipotentiary, or Great Mogul.
- n. An important, powerful or influential person.
- n. A self-important or pretentious person.
- n. military A massive, rocket-propelled, explosive-laden cart designed by the British military during World War II.
- n. an important or influential (and often overbearing) person
- Coined as a nonce word in the 18th century by Samuel Foote. (Wiktionary)
- After the Grand Panjandrum, a character in a nonsense farrago written by Samuel Foote (1720-1777). (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
“On Monday the Rugby Football Union's outgoing grand panjandrum pointed out that his current contract is only for six months, which may mean that he is not entitled to the reported extra £250,000 for his part in creating a record profit of £8.7m for the governing body in the most recent financial year.”
“For there rose in his pomp Sir Peter Tapsell, the Father of the House, and a panjandrum who makes the average double-breasted MP look like Norman Wisdom on a bad day.”
“Even though Marina begins to succumb to the narcosis of the jungle, she senses that she is being groomed to replace Dr. Swenson as chief researcher and tribal panjandrum.”
“Some in the French press and even a French government minister are suggesting that the 62-year-old Socialist Party panjandrum may have been set up by his rivals.”
“Labour's Denis MacShane asked her to confirm that "this great panjandrum, Lord Davies, who is going to get more women on to boards, is a man?”
“The great panjandrum maintains that no deal has been signed with any channel.”
“And busy Americans have never been fussy about the qualifications of even the most exotic panjandrum.”
“To help them, the committee heard from Dr Malcolm Jack, the clerk of the house, and the grandest panjandrum in the palace.”
“Canada is a famous underperformer in the creation of interesting news, so much so that the New Republic once pronounced “Worthwhile Canadian Initiative” (the actual title of a column by the late New York Times panjandrum Flora Lewis) the most boring headline in human history.”
“But editing a daily or Sunday would have given him less time for writing books and might have slowed his development into the nationally admired commentator – or "great panjandrum", as he would probably have said of someone else – that he became.”
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