intr.v., -dropped, -drop·ping, -drops.
To mention casually the names of illustrious or famous people in order to imply that one is on familiar terms with them, intended as a means of self-promotion.
name-dropper name'-drop'per n.
name-drop
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Dictionary:
name-drop (nām'drŏp') |
| WordNet: name-dropping |
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.
The noun has one meaning:
Meaning #1:
the practice of casually mentioning important people in order to impress your listener
| Wikipedia: Name-dropping |
 |
Look up name-dropping in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
Name dropping is the practice of mentioning important people or institutions within a conversation,[1] story,[2] song, online identity,[3] or other communication. The term often connotes an attempt to impress others; it is usually regarded negatively,[1] and under certain circumstances may constitute a breach of professional ethics.[4] When used as part of a logical argument it can be an example of the appeal to authority fallacy.[5]
Purposes
Name dropping is used to position oneself within a social hierarchy. It is often used to create a sense of superiority by raising one's status. By implying (or directly asserting) a connection to people of high status, the name-dropper hopes to raise his or her own social status to a level closer to that of those whose names he or she has dropped, and thus elevate himself or herself above, or into, present company.
Name dropping can also be used to identify people with a common bond. By indicating the names of people one knows, one makes known his or her social circle, providing an opportunity for others with similar connections to relate.[6]
As a form of appeal to authority, name dropping can be an important form of informal argumentation, as long as the name being dropped is of someone expert on the subject of the argument and that person's views are accurately represented.
Methods
Use of the first name may be effective, as in the case of "Kingsley" for Kingsley Amis.[7]
References
- ^ a b Wibberley, Leonard (February 24, 1950), "It's Hard to Eradicate the Name-Dropping Pest", Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Bauer, Harry C. (1960), "Bibliographic name-dropping", Library Review 17 (6): 408–410, doi:.
- ^ Donath, J.; Boyd, D. (2004), "Public displays of connection", BT Technology Journal 22 (4): 71–82, doi:.
- ^ Anderson, Mark B. (2005), "‘Yeah, I work with Beckham’: Issues of confidentiality, privacy and privilege in sport psychology service delivery", Sport & Exercise Psychology Review 1 (2): 3–13.
- ^ Evans, Donald; Palmer, Humphrey (1986), Understanding arguments, Drake Educational Associates, p. 286.
- ^ Bixler, Susan; Dugan, Lisa Scherrer (2000), "Name-Dropping", 5 steps to professional presence: how to project confidence, competence, and credibility at work, Adams Media, pp. 154–155, ISBN 9781580624428.
- ^ William Allison Shimer (1995), "A Nice Little Knack for Name Dropping", The American scholar 64: 487
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
| Translations: Name-drop |
Dansk (Danish)
v. intr. - det at nævne navne på kendte personer for at antyde at man kender dem personligt
Nederlands (Dutch)
indruk maken met namen van bekende kennissen
Français (French)
v. intr. - émailler son discours/sa conversation de noms de personnalités, célèbres (supposées connues de la personne)
Deutsch (German)
v. - bekannte Namen fallen lassen
Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - αναφέρω γνωστά ονόματα για να κάνω φιγούρα
Italiano (Italian)
citare nomi
Português (Portuguese)
v. - citar nomes de pessoas famosas, para fins de autopromoção
Русский (Russian)
хвастаться своими связями
Español (Spanish)
v. intr. - mencionar nombres famosos para darse importancia
Svenska (Swedish)
v. - skryta över att vara bekant med kända personer
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
频频提到名人借以自抬身价
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. intr. - 頻頻提到名人藉以自抬身價
한국어 (Korean)
v. intr. - 유명한 사람의 이름을 함부로 부르다
日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 有名人の名を無断で使用する
العربيه (Arabic)
(فعل) يذكر اسماء مشاهير يعرفهم المتحدث او يدعي ذلك ليبهر الآخرين
עברית (Hebrew)
v. intr. - זרק שמות, התפאר ע"י אזכור היכרותו עם אנשים חשובים
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Name-dropping". Read more |
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