- Hogwarts' BMOC Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson); Beauxbatons' glamour girl Fleur Delacour (Clemence Poesy); and Durmstrang's Quidditch star Viktor Krum (Staniskav Ianevski).
BMOC
noun; acronym
Big man on campus; a leader, often applied to younger populations still undergoing some form of schooling. Though previously only used to describe those on a campus, the term is undergoing widening to refer to other important people, be they in a business or the government. The phrase likely evolved as slang, sounding less sophisticated than a reference to an ‘important person.’ The term itself is an acronym: big man on campus. The first word metaphorically connects the literal meaning of big—large, grand—to a sense of importance. Interestingly, it did not have the physical meaning until the 16th century; before then, it meant ‘powerful, strong.’
Etymology : Some hypothesize big is Scandinavian in origin. Others have compared it to the Norwegian bugge, meaning ‘important man.’ ‘Man’ identifies the noun, from Old English mann, which may go back to the Indo-European root men, to think or breathe. The term itself is now undergoing widening; it does not necessarily refer to a male, but to females as well. ‘On’ is a preposition from the Old English an, going back to the an- in Indo-European roots. ‘Campus,’ which has widened to now refer to any grounds, often those housing a school, was originally Latin for ‘field.’
Source : Newspaper (AP yahoo link) Review
Last modified: 10 June 2008