Master of the Rolls

noun

The President of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, Civil Division, and Head of Civil Justice; a judge who is second in seniority in England and Wales only to the Lord Chief Justice.

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Meanings

nounMaster of the Rolls (plural Masters of the Rolls)

plural Masters of the Rolls

  1. The President of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, Civil Division, and Head of Civil Justice; a judge who is second in seniority in England and Wales only to the Lord Chief Justice.
  2. UKhumorousobsoleteslangA baker.

    What do I care for lawyers! Aʼnt I a baker and Master of the Rolls myself: […]

    1828, George Cruikshank, The Universal Songster, Or Museum of Mirth, page 144

Origin

The sense of a baker is a pun alluding to bread rolls.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Master of the Rolls. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Master%20of%20the%20Rolls

MLA

“Master of the Rolls.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Master%20of%20the%20Rolls. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Master of the Rolls,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Master%20of%20the%20Rolls.

Source: Master of the Rolls on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.