If I am not wrong, I once encountered a British word used (in slang I suppose) to describe a person who boasts about going out, knowing or dating famous people. Does it exist? In this case, is it common?
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2Does the person actually know the famous person? Or are they just making it up? If they're making it up it might come under the generic term "BSer". (B and S are normally replaced with other words, but I'm typing this at work...)– AndyTJul 17, 2018 at 13:16
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While not the strict definition of, that is one of more common traits attributed to a poser, who uses popular references to bolster their 'cred'.– user150753Jul 17, 2018 at 20:13
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1there is a vulgar term for this, "Star-f*****" Essentially, it is an exact simile for "name-dropper".– FattieJul 18, 2018 at 14:01
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1@Fattie I very much disagree. Starfucker literally means what it says—a person who has sexual relations with famous people. A name-dropper is simply a person who knows (or pretends to know) famous people, and frequently mentions the fact that they know them.– user428517Jul 18, 2018 at 17:34
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1@ell I totally know what you mean. In fact I was going to comment: *"Strangely, people seem to use starf'er to mean name-dropper, even though you'd think the word would specifically mean more like a groupie." All I can say is in my experience, folks do use it as a synonym for "name-dropper".– FattieJul 18, 2018 at 17:41
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3 Answers
Are you thinking of name-dropping (MW)?
the studied but seemingly casual mention of prominent persons as associates done to impress others
Name-dropping is the verb form, the noun is name-dropper.
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66Yeah that's the one. I know that for a fact because I just called up Stephen Fry and he said "yeah that's the one". Jul 17, 2018 at 11:45
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Only now I understand that my question was not precise, it was a verb not an adjective, thank you!– christoJul 17, 2018 at 13:29
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21FYI @christo, as an American, this would be the proper word to use as well. Just clarifying it is not strictly British. Jul 17, 2018 at 13:56
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2If you want to emphasize the why (attempting to impress others) more than the how (name dropping), you could always go with poseur Jul 17, 2018 at 16:00
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1@RegDwigнt - pretty funny, for someone with your user name... :-) Jul 18, 2018 at 14:00
If your use of "knowing" is the biblical sense of the word, there is also the term "starfucker".
answered Jul 17, 2018 at 16:07
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1This answer is extremely confusing. "Starfucker" is a totally normal, commonplace, slang.– FattieJul 18, 2018 at 14:03
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I actually edited the answer for clarity. (obviously - as always - anyone else can edit it back again.)– FattieJul 18, 2018 at 14:04
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1I don't know the policy on using swear words in answers. I don't appreciate being dressed down for being cautious and respectful to the reader's sensibilities. Jul 18, 2018 at 14:29
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1The policy on swear words is: observe the use versus mention distinction. Don't use swear words, but feel free to mention them. In other words, if you intend your answer to be starfucker, you are most welcome to write starfucker.– MetaEdJul 18, 2018 at 22:28
The Term "Groupie" is often used in this case.
While, most commonly used in reference to a band/musical artist, it can also be used in context with any famous person or group.
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@AntonSherwood - Point taking Groupie for those that have done it and wannabe for those that havent?– ChadJul 18, 2018 at 12:50