Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1800-1900
Origin: Pooh-Bah, character with the title "Lord-High-Everything-Else" in the operetta The Mikado by W.S.Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan

pooh-bah

 noun
     
pooh-bah [countable] informal
someone who is important or powerful - used to show that you do not respect them very much:
the pooh-bahs of the technology industry
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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