as in conservative
a person with old-fashioned ideas
felt like a Colonel Blimp when it came to how his grandchildren communicated with each other
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Recent Examples of Colonel Blimp
In Zac’s report, Schoonmaker addressed Powell’s legendary filmmaking partnership with Emeric Pressburger, which spawned films such as The Red Shoes, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp and Black Narcissus.
—
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 22 Aug. 2025
Powell is perhaps best known for his creative partnership with Emeric Pressburger, which produced some of the most brilliant British films of the 20th century, including The Life of Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), A Matter of Life and Death (1946), Black Narcissus (1947) and The Red Shoes (1948).
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2025
Released in the thick of World War II, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp serves as a kind of origin story for the character but also, and above all, as a defense of his place in history and in shaping the national character.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 22 Aug. 2025
Powell is perhaps best known for his creative partnership with Emeric Pressburger, which produced some of the most brilliant British films of the 20th century, including The Life of Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), A Matter of Life and Death (1946), Black Narcissus (1947) and The Red Shoes (1948).
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2025
Released in the thick of World War II, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp serves as a kind of origin story for the character but also, and above all, as a defense of his place in history and in shaping the national character.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Colonel Blimp
Noun
-
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) acknowledged on Wednesday that the upper chamber is now eyeing a third reconciliation bill that some conservatives at one point worried would not materialize.—
Sarah Bedford,
The Washington Examiner,
13 May 2026
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Many eyes will be on the Peach State as Governor Brian Kemp completes his second term, unable to run again, and leaving a vacuum for a new conservative, or liberal, leader in the South.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
The veterans were essentially reclamation projects.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
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Built in the 17th century under King Louis XIV, the National Institution of Invalides houses dozens of residents — among them military veterans, Holocaust survivors and civilian victims of conflicts and attacks who receive long-term, medically supervised care.—
Sylvie Corbet,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
Noun
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As a child, David loved collecting fossils and animals.—
Tanya Lewis,
Scientific American,
8 May 2026
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During one visit, riders might notice Siegel’s photograph of a mammoth tusk — a fossil uncovered by crews during construction of the station.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
Noun
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With his piano-pounding performances, wild vocals, bouffant hair and makeup, Little Richard burst onto the musical scene in the 1950s and shook up the stuffed shirts with a string of his hit songs that got both black and white people dancing.—
NBC News,
NBC News,
9 May 2020
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Karen Knorr’s photos of the private members’ clubs of London in the early 1980s are full of stuffed shirts wearing gleaming brogues.—
The Economist,
The Economist,
25 Feb. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Colonel Blimp.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Colonel%20Blimp. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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