Dictionary

admiral of the Swiss Navy en · NOUN

Etymology

From the fact that Switzerland is a landlocked country, so the Swiss Navy (although it does, in a sense, exist) is of little importance.

Meanings

1. One who appears important but is not.
   • When we sailed from San Francisco on the Snark I knew as much about sickness as the Admiral of the Swiss Navy knows about salt water. 1911, Jack London, The Cruise of the Snark:
   • He snorted. “President of the City Council? That's like being admiral of the Swiss Navy.” 2012, Howie Carr -, Hard Knocks:
   • Portmann started as a marine biologist (as he remarked, that was rather like being admiral of the Swiss navy), and moved on to studies in comparative zoology. 2002, Marjorie Glicksman Grene, Randall E. Auxier, Lewis Edwin Hahn, The philosophy of Marjorie Grene, page 80:
   • Having done so, its Pyrrhic victory put its officers in positions of admirals of the Swiss Navy. 1952, Frontier - Volume 4, page 12:
   • “Here comes the Admiral of the Swiss Navy,” remarked the portly, red-faced one, who then proceeded to laugh uproariously at his own wit. 2012, John Lloyd Wright, My Father, Frank Lloyd Wright:
   • When he came to the query, "What is your occupation?" the man of the cloth replied (facetiously, as he thought) , "Oh, I'm an admiral of the Swiss Navy." 1948, Everett Francis Briggs, New Dawn in Japan, page 105:

Forms

wikipedia: Swiss Armed Forces#Lakes flotilla