Grand Poobah

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Grand Pooh-bah is a term derived from the name of the haughty character Pooh-Bah in Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado (1895). In this comic opera, Pooh-Bah holds numerous exalted offices, including Lord Chief Justice, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Master of the Buckhounds, Lord High Auditor, Groom of the Back Stairs, and Lord High Everything Else. The name has come to be used as a mocking title for someone self-important or high-ranking and who either exhibits an inflated self-regard, who acts in several capacities at once, or who has limited authority while taking impressive titles.^[1]

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