Question

Stuffed Shirt a self-important person who shows a lot of phony dignity

Accepted Answer

The chairman of the board is such a stuffed shirt. Although William Shakespeare used a similar expression ("stuffed man"), the version with "shirt" is from the early 1900s. It suggests a person who has a falsely high opinion of his or her own worth and who shows it. People like that are puffed up with their own grandiose feelings about themselves. It's as if they're stuffed with exaggerated self-importance.

Idiom	Stuffed Shirt
Example	The chairman of the board is such a stuffed shirt.
Meaning	a self-important person who shows a lot of phony dignity
Origin	Although William Shakespeare used a similar expression ("stuffed man"), the version with "shirt" is from the early 1900s. It suggests a person who has a falsely high opinion of his or her own worth and who shows it. People like that are puffed up with their own grandiose feelings about themselves. It's as if they're stuffed with exaggerated self-importance.

Stuffed Shirt Person Shows Chairman Board Self Important Lot