tin-pot dictator
See also: tinpot dictator
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From tin pot (“cheap metal disposable container”) + dictator.
Noun
tin-pot dictator (plural tin-pot dictators)
- An autocratic ruler with little political credibility and delusions of grandeur.
Usage notes
Although still used today, this is a pejorative term coined in the days of the British Empire, when it referred to the Victorian innovation of the tin pot, an inexpensive metal container, the forerunner of the tin can.