You no longer have to be a rock star to be a rock star...
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According to New York Times Magazine columnist and language rock star William Safire (whose column fired my wife's passion for language so many years ago), the phrase "has gained a meaning once removed from loud music, dancing gyrations, and wildly enthusiastic fans." In fact, Merriam Webster is considering including the phrase to denote someone "who is not famous for rock music performance in its next Collegiate edition."
Katherine Martin at the Oxford English Dictionary agrees.
Gotta love those metaphors.
According to New York Times Magazine columnist and language rock star William Safire (whose column fired my wife's passion for language so many years ago), the phrase "has gained a meaning once removed from loud music, dancing gyrations, and wildly enthusiastic fans." In fact, Merriam Webster is considering including the phrase to denote someone "who is not famous for rock music performance in its next Collegiate edition."
Katherine Martin at the Oxford English Dictionary agrees.
| She agreed that the
meaning of the term, applied to nonrock stars, goes well beyond mere celebrity
or plain-vanilla stardom.
... "That's the kind of fame we're talking about with rock star: the type of dynamic public figure people tend to toss their panties at." this perceptive semanticist notes, adding primly, "metaphorically speaking." |
Gotta love those metaphors.
