panjandrum
/pænˈd͡ʒæn.dɹəm/
panjandrum means an important, powerful or influential person; muckamuck. It carries an Arena rating of 1623, earned across 48 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, panjandrum ranks #121 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words, #182 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #1,959 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #2,005 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words.
panjandrum is pronounced /pænˈd͡ʒæn.dɹəm/.
Why “panjandrum” is a great word
PANJANDRUM — [Noun] A pompous or self-important person of high rank or influence. Coined as a nonce word in 1755 by British dramatist Samuel Foote, appearing as “the Grand Panjandrum” in a piece of nonsense prose. Unlike a “dignitary,” which neutrally denotes high office, or a “potentate,” which carries genuine political heft, a panjandrum is a figure of hollow grandeur, a title inflated by its own bearer's vanity. It is the ribboned medal on a too-tight uniform, the resonant cough before a speech of profound triviality, the elaborately empty title on a minor functionary's door—a testament to the fragile architecture of self-regard, built upon a foundation of pure air.
Etymology
Coined as a nonce word in the 18th century by British dramatist Samuel Foote.
noun
- An important, powerful or influential person; muckamuck.
- A self-important or pretentious person.e.g.“You can never imagine how delighted I was to find that instead of being the correct sort of big panjandrum you were supposed to be, you were really an old rip like papa.” — 1910, George Bernard Shaw, Misalliance:
- A massive, rocket-propelled, explosive-laden cart designed by the British military during World War II.e.g.“The Panjandrum lurched and overturned, the crash dislodging several of the rockets, which flew low over the beach in all directions […].” — 1967, John Winton, The War At Sea, 1939-1945: An Anthology of Personal Experience, page 304:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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