| 释义 |
Sir Humphrey, n. colloq. (orig. and chiefly Brit.).
Brit. |səː ˈhʌmfri|, U.S. |sər ˈhəm(p)fri|
[‹ the name of Sir Humphrey Appleby, a character created by J. Lynn and A. Jay, in the BBC television series Yes, Minister (1980–4) and Yes, Prime Minister (1986–8).]
A senior civil servant, esp. one considered secretive, scheming, or reactionary. Chiefly in pl.
1985Times 14 July 45/6 Dunsford's escalation difficulties will warm the hearts of Sir Humphreys everywhere. 1988Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 30 Mar. 7/5 Proposed changes to the Public Service Act would create a new breed of ‘Sir Humphreys’, the Queensland Teachers union said yesterday. 2001Daily Tel. 28 Feb. 25/6 One former senior civil servant declared: ‘All sorts of people in the scientific community are absolutely furious over what they see as the Sir Humphreys playing games with a piece of science.’ |