English

Alternative forms

• tinpot dictator
• tin pot dictator

Noun

tin-pot dictator ‎(plural tin-pot dictators)

1. An autocratic ruler with little political credibility, but with self-delusions of grandeur.

Usage notes

Although still used today, this is a pejorative term coined in the days of the colonial British Empire, and referred to the Victorian innovation of the tin-pot, a very cheap metal container, the forerunner of the modern tin can.