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Poster child

Posted by R. Berg on April 18, 2002

In Reply to: Poster child posted by easy rider on April 18, 2002

: What's the origin of the phrase "so is a poster child for sth"?

A poster child was originally a child with some illness or disability or other condition, such as being orphaned in a poor country, whose photo appeared on a poster soliciting donations to a charity that helped children with the condition. Later the term was taken up for humorous uses, like "That guy I went out with last night? He could be the poster boy for a remedial social-skills clinic." I don't know the other part, sth. sth or STH must stand for something that it's better not to have.

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