admiral of the Swiss Navy

English

Etymology

From the fact that Switzerland is a landlocked country, so the Swiss Navy (although it does, in a sense, exist) is of little importance.

Noun

admiral of the Swiss Navy (plural admirals of the Swiss Navy)

1. One who appears important but is not.
   • 1911, Jack London, The Cruise of the Snark:

     When we sailed from San Francisco on the Snark I knew as much about sickness as the Admiral of the Swiss Navy knows about salt water.

   • 1948, Everett Francis Briggs, New Dawn in Japan, page 105:

     When he came to the query, "What is your occupation?" the man of the cloth replied (facetiously, as he thought) , "Oh, I'm an admiral of the Swiss Navy."

   • 1952, Frontier - Volume 4, page 12:

     Having done so, its Pyrrhic victory put its officers in positions of admirals of the Swiss Navy.

   • 2002, Marjorie Glicksman Grene, Randall E. Auxier, Lewis Edwin Hahn, The philosophy of Marjorie Grene, page 80:

     Portmann started as a marine biologist (as he remarked, that was rather like being admiral of the Swiss navy), and moved on to studies in comparative zoology.

   • 2012, John Lloyd Wright, My Father, Frank Lloyd Wright:

     “Here comes the Admiral of the Swiss Navy,” remarked the portly, red-faced one, who then proceeded to laugh uproariously at his own wit.

   • 2012, Howie Carr -, Hard Knocks:

     He snorted. “President of the City Council? That's like being admiral of the Swiss Navy.”