Quote:
Originally Posted by magdalena   Hi!
There is one expression in Polish language I would like to translate. It means - someone who pulls the strings from behind the scenes (we may say that the President is only a (symbolic figure?.....) but corporations pull the strings = hold real power (though, lets say, they are not perceived as such). How do we call such an organisation or a single person in English (both: the ones having real power and only "symbolic figures")?Sh... hope this is clear...  |
Eminence grise. - borrowed from French a long time ago; we make a bit of an effort with the nasalized e, but the rest is pure English (especially the /r/ - nothing too uvular!)
Also 'the power behind the throne' (in a monarchy).
The place where decisions are made is (are?) 'the corridors of power'.
And if decisions are made not in the corridors of power but behind closed doors, they're made in 'smoke-filled rooms'.
Rarely, archaic I think: 'a Machiavel'.
The person in only symbolic power is a 'puppet' or 'a rubber stamp'.
The phrase 'lame-duck President' springs to mind for some reason; but that has a different meaning:
Lame duck - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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