Create a new word based on a famous person's name (real or fictional). The name should make everyone think of the meaning of your word.
For example, the Australian Consise Oxford Dictionary (1988) lists
quisling = 'person cooperating with an enemy who has occupied his country; traitor'
Vidkun Quisling (1887-1945) was a Norwegian army officer, diplomat and politician who was the 'puppet' Prime Minister of Norway for the Nazies when they occupied Norway in the Second World War. He was executed at the end of the war.
Quixote = 'enthusiastic visionary, pursuer of lofty but impractical ideas...'
Don Quixote was the hero of a novel by Cervantes (1547-1616). Here's two of mine
wallis = 'someone for whom another person gives up something valuable'
Wallis Simpson (1896-1986) was a divorced American woman for who Edward VIII abdicated the British Crown to marry.
beethoven = 'a creator of something that he or she can never experience'
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) became deaf in 1802 but continued composing - writing some of the greatest masterpieces of Westerm music. I look forward to seeing your words with your definition and information about the famous person.
WORDS BASED ON FAMOUS NAMES - click here for other examples
CUSTER
I'm interesting choice of definition for this particular General. One tends to associate the name more with failure (getting one's whole Calvalry slaughtered). Apparently he was brilliant in the Civil War & was hence made a general (in 1862 or 3) but after the war in the campaigns against Indians in the West was only a Lieutenant Colonel. Does the Guiness Book of World Record have the world's youngest general.
I think there'd be better examples of success at a young age. For example, in music Mozart by 23 had written several masterpieces. Mendelsohn at 17 had written an amazing string octet.
Here's a challenge - other than child movie-stars or child murderers, what are the youngest ages that people have achieved some success in their field (Piaget, who is probably the most famous cognitive (thinking) psychologist of children had a scientific paper published when he was 11 (on molluscs I think)).
Medicine and much more
I can think of Balamurali Ambati, M.D. (1977-present) He graduated from Mount Sinai School of Medicine at age 17, and became the world's youngest doctor in 1995. He is an Indian-American and after completing a residency in opthalmology at Harvard, travels around the world teaching opthalmic surgery in underprivileged countries. He is 30.
Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855) was a child prodigy in mathematics, who made many mathematical discoveries when he was a teenager. He is noted for being exceptionally precocious as a toddler.
How about Howard Lovecraft (1890-1937) who read poetry at two and composed long poems at the age of five. He wrote outstanding novels of fantasy and horror.
John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) (I discovered this in a Philosophy Book) had mastered several extinct languages by eight and studied philosophy at 12.
And that's all I can think of currently, excluding well known ones like Beethoven and Mozart.
Officially Signed and Most Graciously Authenticated, His Most Imperial Majesty, Kaiser Christophe Wilhelm XII, by the grace of God.
Can Children & Teenagers make Great Adult-like Contributions
Strangely enough I'm just looking for your email address to send some comments about your opera and rags!
How could I forget child prodigies?
What I meant was slightly different - children or teenagers making adult-like contributions - such as Mendelssohn's octet and many lieder by Schubert - ie., Erlkonig & Gretchen Am Sprinnrade (Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel. (Schubert was 17 & this song is revolutionary compared to the lieder that Beethoven was writing at the same time). I have the complete Schubert Lieder on 37CDs - all written before he died aged 31.
What other fields do people start young ? - maths - Evariste Galois (1811-32 killed in a due, aged 20) - founded modern group theory & showed that quintic polynomial equations were unsolvable - he spent the night before the duel writing down his ideas (he also found time to be arrested 2x for revolutionary activities (1830 revol. in Paris?) - on his second time fell in love with the prison physician's daughter which lead to the duel). Are there some, such as literature where it's not possible for children and teenagers to make adult-like contributions because they've never had the life experiences of an adult ? What do you think? Mark Haddon wrote a great book about an autisitc 15 year old & I bet he's not like the boy he wrote about. People who aren't old write novels about old people. Maybe I'm wrong.
Back to Schubert, it could be argued that if all composers had died at the age of 31 that Schubert would be one of the greatest composer who ever lived (or greatest with Mozart). We prob. wouldn't have even heard of Haydn.
I have a CD collection ranging from Gregorian Chant to Xenakis (have you heard of him), Jazz, Blues & Asian (mainly N.Indian) and African music.
Looking at your scores I can see that you are aware of a range of musical styles (19thC. opera, Rags, Bach (the broken chords in semiquavers in the right hand of the rags - are the sonatinas a la Clementi, Mozart ?) Do you listen to a lot of music as well as compose. Maybe answer with my email address as it's not really relevant to this page.
I'll email you tomorrow & comment on your pieces. I can't do it now as I'm going down to our scout troop to advertise this webpage.
SORRY
Just re-read your note - you note Gauss's contributions as a teenagers. I read that mathematicians creativity dies when they're about 30 & after that the write books. Or something like that.
Deidranna
Deidranna: n. One who thinks worse of good things.
I was playing Jagged Alliance 2 (anyone heard of it?), where basically you hire a team of mercenaries to help rebels overthrow an evil dictatoress named Deidranna. I had at one point secured the large town of Cambria, but later the Queen's forces reclaimed it while my men were elsewhere. Whenever an important event happens, like the capturing/recapturing or a town of SAM site, the scene changes to Deidranna's palace, where Deidranna is talking to her advisor, Elliot, who is bringing her the news. When the scene changed to Elliot brining news about the recapture of Cambria, the conversation went like this: Deidranna: "Let me guess, more bad news that will undoubtedly upset me. Why do you never bring me good news?" Elliot: "On the contrary, your highness, I bring you good news right now!" Deidranna: "This is a change in pace. Tell me the good news." Elliot: "Our noble forces have re-claimed Cambria!" Deidranna: "Elliot, you IDIOT!" (She slaps Elliot twice on the head.)
"Taking back something that was already MINE is not good news!" Elliot: "As you wish, your highness."
Deidranna
I like the definition - I wonder if there's a real person who showed the same trait?
Teller
Teller n. 1 A person who spoils magic tricks. 2. A person who spoils something in general.
After Teller of the magic duo Penn &Teller. THey were despised by the magic world because they always gave away secrets.
Signed, Sealed, Pope General Caleb Benedictus XIII, Commander of the IVth Great and Bountiful Italian Empire.
THE OTHER TELLER
EDWARD TELLER (1908 - prob. dead now). Physicist who studied with Bohr and later moved to the US (1935). He was one of the main explainers of solar energy. Member of the team under Fermi who obtained the first nuclear chain reaction. Worked at Los Alamos and was involved in developing the H-bomb. A proponent of nuclear weapons being used for peaceful; purposes, including excavating large areas for harbours, canals and mining. (Does Wellington need a second harbour ?)
How about rather than a TELLER who spoils magic tricks, a PENNTELLER?
That is more specific to the pair.
Regarding spoiling in general. When I was a young adult I attended this weekend in which we were meant to grow creatively etc.. IN one 'exercise' our group was given materials and asked to create anything we liked. I chose to counter anything the group created - in sort, to 'destroy'. Very quickly a very relaxed activity became extremely intense and the peaceful people became almost violent (& prob. would have been if I hadn't backed down). It was one of my most informative informal sociology experiments.
Goethims
My friend Hugo next to me suggests Goetheism - the act of eating rotten fruit while you're writing. THe Author Goethe did this.
Signed, Sealed, Pope General Caleb Benedictus XIII, Commander of the IVth Great and Bountiful Italian Empire.
SCHLIEFFEN
Schlieffen n. 1. A person who creates a foolproof strategy in war.
2.A person who's works are misused or edited without author's consent.
3. A accomplished strategist
Count Alfred Von Schlieffen (1833-1913)
German Strategist who served as Chief of The Imperial German General Staff
from 1891-1905 and was a Field Marshal and brilliant strategist.
Well-known for his meticulous Schlieffien Plan for the precise defeat of France and Russia in a war.
Officially Signed and Most Graciously Authenticated, His Most Imperial Majesty, Kaiser Christophe Wilhelm XII, by the grace of God.