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Glite Dictionary
Colonel Blimp

Colonel Blimp

9.9
A person who thinks they are better than others and dislikes change
  • noun
  • /ˈkɜrnəl blɪmp/
  • Offensive
translation icon : reaccionario
  • The newspaper described the politician as a modern-day Colonel Blimp, out of touch with contemporary values.

Examples

  • Whenever there's a debate on immigration, a few predictable Colonel Blimps inevitably voice their opinions.

  • He acts like a real Colonel Blimp when discussing politics.

  • He dismissed the proposal with all the bluster of a true Colonel Blimp.

  • Many people consider him a Colonel Blimp for his outdated views.

  • The journalist considered him a typical Colonel Blimp, always resisting change and clinging to old traditions.

  • During the meeting, his Colonel Blimp attitude was evident as he dismissed new ideas without a second thought.

  • Her grandfather is often referred to as a Colonel Blimp because he refuses to accept modern ways of thinking.

Synonyms

Blimp
vsColonel Blimp
  • Offensive
6 9.9

A proud older person with extreme national views who resists change

is more generally old-fashioned and ultra-conservative without nationalist extremity

Surface Forms

Colonel Blimp singular

Morphology

Colonel + Blimp

This is a fixed proper-name from a British cartoon whose meaning (a pompous, ultra‑conservative person) depends on cultural and historical knowledge of the character rather than the literal senses of 'colonel' (a military rank) and 'blimp' (an airship). Any weak metaphorical link (e.g. a blimp suggesting rotundity or pomposity) is indirect and not reliably predictable for an average B1 learner who only knows the constituent words, so the expression is idiomatic and non‑compositional.

Etymology

Colonel Blimp comes from a British cartoon character who was a loud, red-faced old army officer who shouted old-fashioned views from his armchair. So today 'Colonel Blimp' means 'a pompous, ultra-conservative, and old-fashioned person'.