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Definition of "panjandrum" []

  • An important or self-important person: "a panjandrum of the publishing business” ( Nat Hentoff). (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "panjandrum" in a sentence
  • "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."
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