Much like McGyver meaning "resourceful," Einstein meaning "intelligent," Savant meaning "gifted..." I remember hearing and using a name to refer to someone as a charismatic go-getter. Another word that comes to mind is "maverick."
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I don't usually associate guile and cunning with charisma...but perhaps that's just me.– KillingTimeCommented Jul 30, 2023 at 7:35
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Well he used his charisma to charm and deceive people. It's not a necessary trait of charisma but they help each other.– NihilCommented Jul 30, 2023 at 7:36
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I remember the name most often used for a man who is good with women. I may be remembering incorrectly.– NihilCommented Jul 30, 2023 at 7:39
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2Savant isn't a personal name - it's French for 'one who knows'.– Kate BuntingCommented Jul 30, 2023 at 7:58
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2Rasputin was charismatic.– TimRCommented Jul 30, 2023 at 9:54
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3 Answers
There's arguably a snowclone 'He's the Napoleon of ...'
The Napoleon of Crime: The Life and Times of Adam Worth, the Real Moriarty [Ben Macintyre {after Conan Doyle}; Waterstones]
The Napoleon of blackmail, Charles Augustus Magnussen* [' ... Magnussen was a powerful and wealthy businessman who ran his own media firm CAM Global. He was a known blackmailer, referred to by Sherlock Holmes as the 'Napoleon of blackmail', and had much control over the Western world due to his blackmailing.'] [Baker Street Wiki]
The Napoleon of Protection ... William McKinley ... [Papertrell]
The Napoleon of The Prize Ring: Jack McAuliffe [Nat Fleischer; Abe Books]
"The Napoleon of the Turf", Col. William R. Johnson [A L Dick; Artist: Yale University Art Gallery]
and many locational examples:
The Napoleon of the West, Santa Ana [Frank C. Hanighen; Abe Books]
The Napoleon of the Pacific, Kamehameha the Great [Francis H. Bacon; Amazon]
The Napoleon of India: 'Samudragupta (335-375 AD) of the Gupta dynasty is known as the "Napoleon of India".' [The Times of India]
Merriam-Webster acknowledges the usage:
Napoleon [3]: one like Napoleon I (as in ambition)
most would add 'rapacious, brilliant, charismatic, infamous'. Dan Snow in his 2015 article for the Telegraph certainly would.
answered Jul 30, 2023 at 13:23
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The blackmailer in the Sherlock Holmes adventure was named Charles Augustus Milverton. According to Wiki, Doyle based him on a real man, Charles Augustus Howell.– Rosie FCommented Jul 31, 2023 at 17:35
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Charles Augustus Magnussen* was played by Lars Mikkelsen in the TV adaptation 'Sherlock' ... where names are often mangled, to protect the guilty. Commented Jul 31, 2023 at 18:42
A man considered romantic and gallant, especially one who gives amorous attentions to women. A promiscuous, philandering man.
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2As Wikipedia notes, his name is synonymous with "libertine" rather than the more general "charisma". Commented Jul 30, 2023 at 7:52
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Huh, I always thought it was a compliment. Though I suppose it still could be depending on who you ask.– NihilCommented Jul 30, 2023 at 8:00
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1I think the thing is that a casanova is likely to be charismatic, but is always descriptive of a libertine. However, being charismatic certainly doesn't mean a chap is a libertine. However, there may be a answer to your question (about a name synonymous with charismatic) which is not Casanova.– Andrew Leach ♦Commented Jul 30, 2023 at 8:24
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1The question asks for a word for a "charismatic go-getter". I'm not sure Casanova could be described as a go-getter; for "charismatic go-getter" I'd think more of the mentioned Rasputin or more positively someone like JFK or Justin Trudeau.– Stuart FCommented Jul 30, 2023 at 11:05
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I asked NGrams to list the most common words before ...was a charismatic leader. Sadly, I have to report that (ignoring pronouns), Hitler just beat Jesus to the top slot. The other proper nouns in the top 10 are Nasser, Garvey (who he?), and Gandhi. Commented Jul 30, 2023 at 11:13
If you can accept mythology, rather than history:
- Classical Mythology. a youth slain by a wild boar but permitted by Zeus to pass four months every year in the lower world with Persephone, four with Aphrodite, and four wherever he chose.
- a very handsome young man.
