Zelig

[ zel-ig ]

/ ˈzɛl ɪg /

a chameleonlike person who is unusually ubiquitous.

QUIZZES

Nourish your vocabulary with a refresher on the words from the week of September 14–20, 2020!

Question 1 of 7

What does “blatherskite” mean?

from Leonard Zelig, main character in Zelig, 1984 film by W. Allen

Zelig²

[ zee-lig, zel-ig ]

/ ˈzi lɪg, ˈzɛl ɪg /

a male given name: from a Germanic word meaning “blessed.”

Franco himself is the Zelig of the literary world these days.
3 Must Reads: ‘Kayak Morning,’ ‘Mr. g,’ and ‘Alex Gilvarry’|Hillary Kelly, Mythili Rao, Jacob Silverman|February 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He is the Zelig from hell, a Francostein monster, a send-up of democracy and a travesty of meritocracy.
Lawsuit Over a Bad NYU Grade? Put James Franco in Detention!|Lee Siegel|December 22, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The New York Times called Gorseki the “Zelig of New York Fashion Week” last year.
Brad Goreski: On Styling, His New Show & Leaving Rachel Zoe|Isabel Wilkinson|December 20, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The Bellman, in which “Zelig” appeared, is remarkable for the brilliance and power of its fiction.
The Best Short Stories of 1915|Various

I suppose there can be no doubt that “Zelig” is by all odds the most nobly conceived and finely wrought story of the year.
The Best Short Stories of 1915|Various
With them the cantor signed a contract by which Zelig was bound to him as a kind of musical apprentice for three years.
The Spirit of the Ghetto|Hutchins Hapgood
Before we get pistols and learn to use them well be asleep under a quilt of earth, said Zelig.
The White Terror and The Red|Abraham Cahan