Lord Privy Seal

proper noun

The fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, now used as a sinecure or title for a minister without portfolio.

“Not bad, but it's a bit Lord Privy Seal.”

Meanings

Lord Privy Seal1

proper noun
  1. UKgovernmentThe fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, now used as a sinecure or title for a minister without portfolio.

    Synonyms: Keeper of the Privy Seal, Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal

Lord Privy Seal2

adjectiveLord Privy Seal (comparative more Lord Privy Seal, superlative most Lord Privy Seal)

comparative more Lord Privy Seal · superlative most Lord Privy Seal

  1. UKhumorousbroadcastingOf images, that match words too closely or in an overly literal manner.

    Not bad, but it's a bit Lord Privy Seal.

    2 more examples

    Now only people in their late fifties (and there aren't many of us left at the BBC) even remember it; yet a few years ago I heard a young editor and a youngish reporter discussing whether a picture sequence was 'too Lord Privy Seal': that is, too literal and obvious.

    2009 September 30, John Simpson, News from No Man's Land: Reporting the World, Pan Macmillan, →ISBN, page 115

    Between 'a quiet village in the rolling Cotswolds...' (too Lord Privy Seal-ish ) and 'an ugly mood is spreading here' (doesn't fit with the sunlit oaks and silent roads) a good TV reporter will come up with something better.

    2009 September 18, Andrew Marr, My Trade: A Short History of British Journalism, Pan Macmillan, →ISBN

Synonyms & antonyms

proper nounThe fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, now used as a sinecure or title for a minister without portfolio.

Origin

From a sketch on the 1966-67 British satire show The Frost Report, poking fun at the television broadcasting practice of displaying images on screen to accompany spoken monologues. In the sketch, the words Lord Privy Seal in a news report are illustrated with a photo of a lord, photo of a privy (outhouse), and photo of a seal (pinniped) balancing a ball on its nose.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Lord Privy Seal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lord%20Privy%20Seal

MLA

“Lord Privy Seal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lord%20Privy%20Seal. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Lord Privy Seal,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lord%20Privy%20Seal.

Source: Lord Privy Seal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.