copycat etymology

Explainer thanks Peter Borchelt of the Animal Medical Center and Ben Zimmer of the Visual Thesaurus. One transistor square wave amplifier: why doesn't it work? Why do people say the Pakistani government has failed because the army is interfering with politics? Constance Cary Harrison's 1887 quasi-memoir Bar Harbor Days contains the first written evidence of the term copycat—that we know of, anyway. Un copycat est une personne agissant de manière similaire à une action lue dans les médias. rev 2020.9.30.37698, The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, English Language & Usage Stack Exchange works best with JavaScript enabled, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site, Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, Learn more about hiring developers or posting ads with us, Although these books use the expression, it seems that this phrase has actually already been in use, the way the author wrote it without putting "" around the word. Can the same song be written in a minor key and major key with the progression written differently? What's the origin of the phrase “into the weeds”? "Unlike monkeys and parrots, cats aren't actually known for imitative behavior, but the term is somewhat logical since "cat" has been an insult since the medieval period. (n.) by 1884, Amer.Eng., probably at least a generation older, from COPY (Cf. When logophiles—word lovers—try to explain the origin of “copycat,” it’s clear that they’re really not that…sure. English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. Putting two prepositions next to each other. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader.

A term for someone who imitates another person, the word copycat has been applied to attacks, crimes, suicides, and, not least of all, uninventive kids at the playground. In 1982, someone, or perhaps a number of people, replaced Tylenol powder with cyanide, killing seven. 2) (before another noun ) denoting an action, especially a crime, carried out in imitation of another: copycat attacks …   English terms dictionary, copycat — cop y*cat , copy cat cop y cat . Another early example comes from a different Maine-born writer, Sarah Orne Jewett, in her 1890 novel Betty Leicester: A Story for Girls. We have 2 cats who are sisters. Got a question about today’s news? Current renter wants me to mail application and check to them instead of landlord — is this legitimate? You’ve run out of free articles. Copy-boy, one who takes copy from the writer to the printer, is from 1888. But the term “copycat crime” didn’t really gain currency until the early 1980s.

Jewett used it again in her 1896 novel Country of Pointed Firs,about an elderly landlady in small-town coastal Maine who tells her friend Mrs. Fosdick, “In these days, the young folk is all copy-cats, ‘fraid to death they won’t be all just alike.” Mrs. Fosdick’s response suggests that the term had been part of the spoken vernacular for some time: “I ain’t heard of a copy-cat this great many years,” said Mrs. Fosdick, laughing; ” ‘twas a favorite term o’ my grandmother’s.”. As a verb, from 1932. Why is it a "cat"? Unlike monkeys and parrots, cats aren’t actually known for imitative behavior, but the term is somewhat logical since “cat” has been an insult since the medieval period. In an early-13th-century monastic guidebook for female monks called Ancrene Riwle, for instance, the anonymous author warns ascetics against becoming “cats of hell.” (The term “hell-cat,” by the way, began to crop up around 1603, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.)

Stack Exchange network consists of 176 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Slate relies on advertising to support our journalism. You can cancel anytime. But where does the term copycat come from? There is a greater resemblance between 2 cats than any other kind of animal. Cat lovers who own two cats will certainly confirm this.

...a series of copycat attacks by hooligan gangs.

As a term of contempt for a human being; esp. "Our boys say you are a copy cat, if you write in anything that's been already printed."

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