A "young pretender"

Posted by ESC on February 11, 2004

In Reply to: A "young pretender" posted by ESC 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

• A "young pretender" Billy Bragg 11/February/04
  • A "young pretender" ESC 11/February/04
    • Bonnie Prince Charlie AKA The Young Pretender Bruce Kahl 11/February/04
      • Loch Lomond SR 12/February/04