Re: A "young pretender"

Posted by ESC on February 11, 2004

In Reply to: Re: A "young pretender" posted by Billy Bragg on February 11, 2004

: : : : What does it mean to call someone a 'young pretender'? And where does the term come from?

: : : It's a royalty thing. From infoplease:

: : : PRETENDER -- Pronunciation: (pri-ten'dur), [key]
: : : -n.
: : : 1. a person who pretends, esp. for a dishonest purpose.
: : : 2. an aspirant or claimant (often fol. by to): a pretender to the throne.
: : : 3. a person who makes unjustified or false claims, statements, etc., as about personal status, abilities, intentions, or the like: a pretender to literary genius.

: : And from Merriam-Webster online:

: : PRETENDER: Function: noun
: : : one that pretends : as a : one who lays claim to something; specifically : a claimant to a throne who is held to have no just title b : one who makes a false or hypocritical show

: Interesting ... so someone who is a poseur, claiming to be a social prince or princess, could be considered a young pretender.

I believe that's accurate.

• Bonnie Prince Charlie AKA The Young Pretender Bruce Kahl 11/February/04
  • Loch Lomond SR 12/February/04