corridors of power

Definitions

The buildings and offices that powerful people, especially politicians, are visualised as inhabiting; (by extension) the highest tiers of government or other organisation, where important decisions are made.

plural, plural-only

Equivalents

Examples

“The official world, the corridors of power, the dilemmas of conscience and egotism—she disliked them all.”

“When angry construction workers seeking unpaid wages stormed a site office in Yau Tong in July 2002, their violent clash with the police set⟳ alarm bells ringing in the corridors of power.”

“The “data revolution” is the idea of the moment, and it’s hard to find⟳ anyone who doesn’t think⟳ that more money, innovation and effort should be poured into counting and measuring, and that more open⟳ data can help⟳ to unlock⟳ the corridors of power.”

“He is a supposedly serious young man who was celebrated in the corridors of power not only as a financial savant but also—through his highly publicized philanthropy and conspicuous association with the “effective altruism” movement—as a moral genius.”

CEFR level