armchair general

armchair general

One who speaks authoritatively on topics one actually knows little to nothing about. My uncle is such an armchair general about the classes I'm taking—the fact that he never went to college doesn't stop him from weighing in! Stop being an armchair general and let me fix my car, since I actually know what I'm doing here!
See also: armchair, general
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

armchair general

A self-proclaimed military expert with little or no practical experience, who imposes his or her views on others. See also backseat driver; Monday-morning quarterback.
See also: armchair, general
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • drive (one) out of office
  • force (one) out of office
  • force out of office
  • give (one) (one's) head
  • give head
  • give somebody their head
  • give someone their head
  • cooking for one
  • 1FTR
  • as one door closes, another (one) opens
References in periodicals archive
Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairman Jose Maria Sison criticized Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana for calling him an "armchair general".
Earlier, it was Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana who ridiculed Sison, calling him an 'armchair general.'
It's about old sweats and armchair general Sir Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, battling to retain the biggest possible budget in the face of a PS30 billion spending black hole.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, a right-wing, gungho, puce-faced armchair general if ever I saw one, unilaterally extended Britain's role in a Nato strike force by three more years.
The blend of national strategy and real-time battlefield tactics is intensely appealing to any armchair general and I've played most of them over the last 13 years.
SO John Welsh calls me an armchair general and I should stick to reading the Beano (Feedback, Thursday, March 15).
Let's do two things - become an armchair general and apply common sense!
Founded in 2001 by industry veterans Norm Koger and Jim Rose, its most recent titles include two award winning 3D Naval Simulation & Strategy games, the 2006 Armchair General Wargame of the Year, Distant Guns, and Game Pro's Editor's Choice, Jutland.
No armchair general here: Bing West has climbed mountains in Afghanistan with American combat troops, watched rocket-propelled grenades streak over his head and come close to dying of cholera.
Peters originally published these articles in various professional forums including Armchair General. USA Today, National Review, New York Post, Joint Forces Quarterly, and Armed Forces Journal.
"Unlike many of AQ's top members, Zawahri has not had actual combat experience, instead opting to be an armchair general with a 'soft' image."
US officials painted the 59-year-old long-time number two as an "armchair general" with no combat experience, saying he not only lacked charisma and leadership skills but was also a divisive figure who could fracture Al-Qaeda.
"Unlike many of AQ's top members, Zawahiri has not had actual combat experience, instead opting to be an armchair general with a 'soft' image." Sajjan Gohel of Asia-Pacific Foundation security consultants said Zawahri had been in practical charge of A- Qaeda for many years, but lacked bin Laden's presence and his "ability to unite the different Arab factions within the group."
First, it contains a number of shorter articles--some previously appearing in the military history journal Armchair General and online.
He added: "I'm not in a position to second guess the commander, I'm not in a position to do that, I'm not going to be an armchair general in this job, thank you very much."