Sir Hum‧phrey /sə ˈhʌmfri $ sər-/
a name used, especially in newspapers, for a typical British civil servant (=someone who works for a government minister, but who is not a politician) of high rank. The name is based on a character called Sir Humphrey Appleby, in the humorous British television programme Yes, Minister, who uses clever and dishonest methods to make sure that his minister always does what Sir Humphrey wants.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲