grand vizier

plural grand viziers · alternative grand vizir

1. historicalThe greatest minister of a sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the sultan himself.

   Synonyms: Vizier Azem

2. broadlyA figure of great authority and power.

   But the ultimate fix came from the grand vizier of New Orleans voodoo-funk, Dr John, whose mesmerising performance was as close as you'll come to witnessing a shaman summoning spirits.

   2012 July 24, Alfred Hickling, “SummerTyne Americana – review”, in The Guardian

   1 more example

   To read his memoir of those years, Locked in the Cabinet, is to feel the sting experienced by this talented, innovative, and principled small “d” democrat as he was repeatedly shoved aside on economic issues by Rubin, Bentsen, Panetta, and, of course, the grand vizier himself, Alan Greenspan.

   2022, Gary Gerstle, chapter 5, in The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order […] , New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, Part II. The Neoliberal Order, 1970–2020

   Synonyms: baron, big cheese, big enchilada, big gun, big kahuna, big man, big name, big noise