(1) This acronym represents the Apostle Paul's phrase, "the powers that be." It is from his letter to the Romans, chapter 13, verse 1.
(2) It was used by Joss Whedon's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" TV series to describe a specific group of supernatural beings, whose purpose was to maintain the balance of good and evil in the world.
(2) It was used by Joss Whedon's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" TV series to describe a specific group of supernatural beings, whose purpose was to maintain the balance of good and evil in the world.
by Cheerful Traveller July 22, 2009
Damn I hope TPTB don't start a NWO that destroys our freedom. (Wake Up, Look Around, Think for Yourself, and Those You Care For..)
by pmckart, cause IM NOT AFRAID! January 23, 2011
Shorthand for "The Powers That Be". Believed to have started in Jossverse, the term refers to the directors, producers, writers, actors, etc. of a certain TV show. Mostly used in cult shows like Stargate, Star Trek, BtVS and the like.
by Dr. Lucia Zephyr December 26, 2005
A: TPTB is a total pain total bullshit now.
B: What did you expect? It's just talk the talk, walk the walk.
B: What did you expect? It's just talk the talk, walk the walk.
by jaelee11 April 23, 2008
The Powers That Be, a warez re-release group specialising in compressed games and videos with .bat installers which extract the files.
by qwertyacme December 28, 2011