star chamber
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈstɑr ˈʧeɪmbər/
- Literature
:
cámara estelar
- The investigation felt like a star chamber, with decisions made behind closed doors and no opportunity for public scrutiny.
But regardless of whether it's provided to a board or the council, at least in my experience, most of the time it's sort of a star chamber proceeding.
- But regardless of whether it's provided to a board or the council, at least in my experience, most of the time it's sort of a star chamber proceeding.
Examples
-
But regardless of whether it's provided to a board or the council, at least in my experience, most of the time it's sort of a star chamber proceeding.
-
My colleagues emerged from their second meeting like pious clergymen leaving a medieval star chamber.
Fiction book (1997) -
In the secret meeting, the committee operated like a star chamber, excluding dissenting voices from the discussion.
-
Many people were concerned that the new policy was being shaped in a star chamber, lacking transparency and open debate.
Synonyms
15
8.6
A secret meeting where people decide important things
8
6.3
A private place where a small group makes important decisions away from public view
1
6.6
A secret meeting held in private to hide plans, often for illegal reasons
A private meeting where people make important decisions away from the public
Antonyms
How Secretive
45
4.9
- Literature
1
9.9
- Informal
6
8.8
572
2.9
∞
3.2
9
2.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
star + chamber
Although 'chamber' can suggest a room or an assembly, the adjective 'star' does not transparently signal secrecy, selectivity, or unfair decision-making; the idiomatic sense comes from a historical legal institution (the Star Chamber) rather than straightforward composition. Because the overall meaning (a secretive, unfair decision-making body) cannot be derived from the literal senses of the parts, an average B1 learner knowing the constituents would not predict this sense.
Etymology
Star chamber comes from an old chamber with stars painted on the ceiling where a small group of judges met in secret and often punished people without a fair trial. So today star chamber means a meeting where a few people make 'secret' and 'unfair' decisions.