copycat
a person who imitates others, or copies their work
TRANSLATION
copycat = Nachäffer, Nachahmer
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
"The pope is stalking me," she said, noting she recently performed in New York, where Francis is until Saturday morning. "Either he's a COPYCAT or he's secretly in love with me."
Madonna (on the occasion of Pope Francis' US visit in 2015)
--
Generic drug makers are challenging patents protecting Plavix, hoping they can sell cheaper COPYCAT versions in the United States.
The New York Times
Did you
know?
copycat
noun
- one who imitates or adopts the behaviour or practices of another; an imitative act or product
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
- done or made to be similar to something else
Cambridge Dictionary Online
---
ORIGIN
The term copycat (also written as copy-cat or copy cat) refers to the tendency of humans to duplicate the behaviour of others, as expressed in the saying, 'monkey see, monkey do'.
The origin is unknown, it may refer to kittens that learn by observing the behaviour of their mother. But since this occurs all throughout nature, why copycat instead of copydog, copyhorse, or copymonkey?
New words are often created through alliteration, which is the repetition of the same sounds at the beginning of words or in stressed syllables. Add to that the fact that cats are one of the most popular domesticated animals, and it's no surprise that today we say copycat instead of copycanary!
---
Practice OWAD in a conversation:
“Be careful sharing ideas with Jemima, she's a bit of a COPYCAT.”
