- This word makes heavy use of metaphor and metonymy. This use of the word big is a domain shift from spatial size to social reach. The use of name is also an example of metonymy because a BNOC is a person, not just that person’s name. This word may have come about as a euphemism for the term ‘popular’ which often carries a negative stigma. BNOC can be used as a positive term to refer to a person who is friends with a lot of people, and it is also appropriate to use in casual analytical conversations of social dynamics.
BNOC (3)
acronym; noun
Big name on campus: A person who is popular on a college campus, or whose name is recognized by a large number of people on campus.
Etymology : BNOC is an acronym for the phrase “Big name on campus”. Campus is from the latin word ‘campus’ which means ‘flat land, field’. Reference: “Campus (n.).” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/c…tymonline_v_644. Accessed 3 Dec. 2019.
Source : “This is why you are a BNOC” (Rice student in the Martel commons, 10:06pm 9/29/19)
Last modified: 9 December 2019