a has-been
a person who is no longer popular or successful
TRANSLATION
a has-been = jemand, der den Höhepunkt seiner Karriere überschritten oder seine Glanzzeit überlebt hat a has-been of an actor = ein ausrangierter Schauspieler --- GOOGLE INDEX a has-been: approximately 15,400,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
"Who decides and logs those that are officially HAS-BEENS? And once one's on the list can one get removed and become a has-been-been?
The Guardian
The Guardian
Did you
know?
a has-been
idiom
- a person who is no longer popular or successful
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
---
The noun "has-been" refers to someone who was once famous, important, admired, or good at something, but is no longer any of these. Although this idiom sounds modern, it has been used since the 1600s to talk about people who have outlived their fame.
A has-been is generally an older person, but not necessarily so. Particularly in today's popular culture, the public is always looking for fresh faces and stories. Someone can become famous quickly, and just as quickly be "dropped" by their fans.
One way to describe this short-lived status is with the expression "fifteen minutes of fame". This comes from artist Andy Warhol, who said, "In the future, everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes."
Sadly, a has-been often does not realize that the good days are over. They may try to hang on to their popularity through attention-getting behaviour, but the public's admiration usually turns to pity or even ridicule.
---
SYNONYMS
a nobody, dinosaur, former celebrity, a washed-up star
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"I don't like people calling old Bertram a 'has-been', he's still got a lot of experience to offer the firm."
idiom
- a person who is no longer popular or successful
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
---
The noun "has-been" refers to someone who was once famous, important, admired, or good at something, but is no longer any of these. Although this idiom sounds modern, it has been used since the 1600s to talk about people who have outlived their fame.
A has-been is generally an older person, but not necessarily so. Particularly in today's popular culture, the public is always looking for fresh faces and stories. Someone can become famous quickly, and just as quickly be "dropped" by their fans.
One way to describe this short-lived status is with the expression "fifteen minutes of fame". This comes from artist Andy Warhol, who said, "In the future, everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes."
Sadly, a has-been often does not realize that the good days are over. They may try to hang on to their popularity through attention-getting behaviour, but the public's admiration usually turns to pity or even ridicule.
---
SYNONYMS
a nobody, dinosaur, former celebrity, a washed-up star
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"I don't like people calling old Bertram a 'has-been', he's still got a lot of experience to offer the firm."
