[Ads-l] brainiac (UNCLASSIFIED)

[MULLINS, WILLIAM D (Bill) CIV USARMY CCDC AVMC (USA)]

CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED

A brainiac is an intelligent person, possibly who is ostracized for their brightness.  Comes from the proper noun "Brainiac" which is either a villain from the Superman comics, or a toy computer kit (see Wikipedia for details).


I don't see this version of brainiac in either the OED or in the OED SF project.

Noun:

_Washington [DC] Star_ 15 Jan 1980 p C-4 col 3
"They called him 'brainiac' and told him to 'go back to grammar school' ".
[article about child prodigies in college]

White Plains NY _Journal News_ 16 Jun 1985 p C1 col 1 [syndicated AP article]
"That was where he was first dubbed a 'brainiac,' she said."

Twin Falls Idaho _Times-News_ 15 Mar 1987 p A-12 col 2  [syndicated AP article]
"Shelvy, an honor role [sic] student whose grades have been declining, told Fordham she was not putting forth full effort because she didn't want to be labeled 'a brainiac'."


Adjective:


_99'er Magazine_ 1982 [issue undated, copyright 1982] v1#5, p 17  col 1

"Even companies that own big 'brainiac' computers are buying micros to spread around to key people."

_Austin [TX] Chronicle_ 29 July 2005 p 84  col 2
"oddly directed by Tim Story (last seen helming the disastrous Jimmy Fallon travesty Taxi), this is the origin story of brainiac sci-fi guy Reed  Richards (Gruffudd), his capable lady love Sue Storm (Alba), her cocksure, testosterone-bomb of a kid brother (Evans), and friend-to-the-end Ben Grimm (Chiklis), and what happens to them after they're saturated by radiation from a cosmic storm while orbiting the Earth in the name of Saving Mankind."


CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org