Dictionary

Lord Privy Seal en · PROPN · etymology 1

Meanings

1. (UK) The fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, now used as a sinecure or title for a minister without portfolio.

Synonyms

Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal · Keeper of the Privy Seal

Lord Privy Seal en · ADJ · etymology 2

Etymology

From a sketch on the 1966-67 British satire show The Frost Report, poking fun at the television broadcasting practice of displaying images on screen to accompany spoken monologues. In the sketch, the words Lord Privy Seal in a news report are illustrated with a photo of a lord, photo of a privy (outhouse), and photo of a seal (pinniped) balancing a ball on its nose.

Meanings

1. (UK, humorous) Of images, that match words too closely or in an overly literal manner.
   • Now only people in their late fifties (and there aren't many of us left at the BBC) even remember it; yet a few years ago I heard a young editor and a youngish reporter discussing whether a picture sequence was 'too Lord Privy Seal': that is, too literal and obvious. 2009 September 30, John Simpson, News from No Man's Land: Reporting the World, Pan Macmillan, →ISBN, page 115:
   • Between 'a quiet village in the rolling Cotswolds...' (too Lord Privy Seal-ish ) and 'an ugly mood is spreading here' (doesn't fit with the sunlit oaks and silent roads) a good TV reporter will come up with something better. 2009 September 18, Andrew Marr, My Trade: A Short History of British Journalism, Pan Macmillan, →ISBN:
   • Not bad, but it's a bit Lord Privy Seal.

Forms

Relateds

rebus