tin-pot

adjective

ˈtin-ˈpät

: two-bit sense 1

tin-pot dictators

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Tin has never commanded as much respect as some other metals. As a reflection of this, its name has long been used in terms denoting the tawdry or petty. Tin-pot has been used for minor or insignificant things or people since the early 1800s. Tinhorn has named fakes or frauds (especially gamblers) since the second half of that century, and tin lizzie has been a nickname for an inexpensive car since Ford introduced the Model T. Another example is tin-pan, meaning "noisy, harsh, tinny." That word features in the name of the famous Tin Pan Alley, in which it evokes the tinny sound of pianos pounded furiously by musicians plugging tunes to producers.

Examples of tin-pot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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In every period, the essence of politics has been that a tin-pot tsar who wants to arrogate to himself the right to personal, unaccountable power needs to intimidate the honest people who are not afraid of him. —

Alexei Navalny, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024 At first, these visual references provide cinematic flair that surpasses the tin-pot Flash Gordon, Destination Moon: Star Trekian juvenilia of Star Wars. —

Armond White, National Review, 9 Aug. 2024 Business after business has rolled over for the tin-pot dictatorship of Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. —

Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2023