man on horseback

noun

1. a military leader who presents himself as the savior of the country during a period of crisis and either assumes or threatens to assume dictatorial powers.
2. any dictator.

Example Sentences

The show, now at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, culminates with a monumental sculpture of a fallen man on horseback, draped over the horse as if he had just been shot, his Nikes dangling below the saddle.

From New York Times

While his hard-wired true believers may see him as a political and ideological Man on Horseback, to those outside his insular, tribal cohort, he is an apocalyptic horseman worthy only of scorn.

From Salon

The animals today aren't killed but they are injured by a man on horseback who uses what appears to be a type of pike pole.

From BBC

There is also a second sense in which I have rethought my views on civil-military relations in the face of a civilian “Man on Horseback” scenario.

From Salon

After a career of galloping to hounds, and a historic reputation as America's premier man on horseback, he was never able to hold his seat in the saddle with the same confidence.

From Literature

Related Words

• autocrat
• despot
• tyrant