sobriquet means A familiar name for a person or thing; a nickname (sometimes assumed by the person, but often given by others) that is descriptive. It carries an Arena rating of 1830, earned across 86 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, sobriquet ranks #117 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #1,502 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,163 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words, #2,363 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say.
sobriquet is pronounced /ˈsəʊ.bɹɪ.keɪ/.
Why “sobriquet” is a great word
SOBRIQUET — [Noun] A familiar or humorous descriptive name for a person or thing; a nickname. From the French sobriquet ("nickname"), from Middle French soubriquet ("a chuck under the chin, a jest"). First attested in English in the 1640s. Unlike a "pseudonym," which cloaks identity, or an "epithet," which attacks it, a sobriquet is a public badge of affection or reputation. It is the percussive rhythm of "Satchmo" in a trumpet, the brisk efficiency of "The Iron Lady" in newsprint, the weary mantle of "The King" on endless tours—a second name given not by parents, but earned from the world, a mask that, in fitting so perfectly, reveals more than it obscures.
Etymology
Borrowed from French sobriquet (“nickname”), from Middle French soubriquet (“a chuck under the chin”).
noun
- A familiar name for a person or thing; a nickname (sometimes assumed by the person, but often given by others) that is descriptive.e.g.““The Bard” is a sobriquet of English playwright William Shakespeare.”
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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