throttlebottom means an incompetent holder of a public office. It carries an Arena rating of 1419, earned across 11 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, throttlebottom ranks #150 of 17,128 for Most Whimsical Words, #1,631 of 17,125 for Most Incisive Words, #2,721 of 17,150 for Funniest Words, #3,071 of 17,140 for The Improbable.
Why “throttlebottom” is a great word
An innocuously inept and futile person holding a public office, from the name Alexander Throttlebottom, a bumbling vice-presidential character in the 1931 musical comedy Of Thee I Sing by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind. Unlike "incompetent," which denotes a general lack of skill, or "placeman," which implies a calculated political appointment, a throttlebottom is defined by a specific, harmless futility. He is the ribbon-cutter who cannot find the scissors, the committee chair who calls votes on motions already defeated, the ceremonial figurehead whose signature flutters at the bottom of forgotten memoranda—a monument to the quiet comedy of official pointlessness, forever smiling from the photograph's edge.
Etymology
From the book Of Thee I Sing, by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind, in which Mr. Alexander Throttlebottom runs for vice-president of the United States.
noun
- An incompetent holder of a public office.e.g.“[...] to puzzle through the plans for their current project, rehash a controversy on the airport board, growl about some throttlebottom at city hall [...]”
Words closest in meaning
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