A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or otherwise reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures.

There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern mythologies, and the Chinese dragon, with counterparts in Japan, Korea and other East Asian countries. The two traditions may have evolved separately, but have influenced each to a certain extent, particularly with the cross-cultural contact of recent centuries. The English word "dragon" derives from Greek δράκων (''drákōn''), "dragon, serpent of huge size, water-snake", which probably comes from the verb δρακεῖν (''drakeîn'') "to see clearly".

In the New Testament, the Devil takes the form of a red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, in his battle against Archangel Michael.

Overview

Dragons are usually shown in modern times with a body like a huge lizard, or a snake with two pairs of lizard-type legs, and able to emit fire from their mouths. The European dragon has bat-type wings growing from its back. A dragon-like creature with no front legs is known as a wyvern. Following discovery of how pterosaurs walked on the ground, some dragons have been portrayed without front legs and using the wings as front legs pterosaur-fashion when on the ground.

Although dragons occur in many legends around the world, different cultures have varying stories about monsters that have been grouped together under the dragon label. Some dragons are said to breathe fire or to be poisonous, such as in the Old English poem Beowulf. They are commonly portrayed as serpentine or reptilian, hatching from eggs and possessing typically scaly or feathered bodies. They are sometimes portrayed as having especially large eyes or watching treasure very diligently, a feature that is the origin of the word dragon (Greek ''drakeîn'' meaning "to see clearly"). Some myths portray them with a row of dorsal spines. European dragons are more often winged, while Chinese dragons resemble large snakes. Dragons can have a variable number of legs: none, two, four, or more when it comes to early European literature.

Dragons are often held to have major spiritual significance in various religions and cultures around the world. In many Asian cultures dragons were, and in some cultures still are, revered as representative of the primal forces of nature, religion and the universe. They are associated with wisdom—often said to be wiser than humans—and longevity. They are commonly said to possess some form of magic or other supernatural power, and are often associated with wells, rain, and rivers. In some cultures, they are also said to be capable of human speech. In some traditions dragons are said to have taught humans to talk.

The term ''dragoon'', for infantry that moved around on horseback yet still fought as foot soldiers, is derived from their early firearm, the "dragon", a wide-bore musket that spat flame when it fired, and was thus named for the mythical creature.

Origin and etymology

Origin and etymology

The word ''dragon'' entered the English language in the early 13th century from Old French ''dragon'', which in turn comes from Latin ''draconem'' (nominative ''draco'') meaning "huge serpent, dragon," from the Greek word δράκων, ''drakon'' (genitive ''drakontos'', δράκοντος) "serpent, giant seafish", which is believed to have come from an earlier stem ''drak-'', a stem of ''derkesthai'', "to see clearly," from Proto-Indo-European ''derk-'' "to see" or "the one with the (deadly) glance." The Greek and Latin term referred to any great serpent, not necessarily mythological, and this usage was also current in English up to the 18th century.

The association of the serpent with a monstrous opponent overcome by a heroic deity has its roots in the mythology of the Ancient Near East, including Canaanite (Hebrew, Ugaritic), Hittite and Mesopotamian. The ''Chaoskampf'' motif entered Greek mythology and ultimately Christian mythology, although the serpent motif may already be part of prehistoric Indo-European mythology as well, based on comparative evidence of Indic and Germanic material. It has been speculated that accounts of spitting cobras may be the origin of the myths of fire-breathing dragons.

Oriental dragon

The earliest depiction of the oriental dragon was the Chinese dragon (traditional:龍;simplified:龙), with examples dating back to the 16th century BC. Archaeologist Zhōu Chong-Fa believes that the Chinese word for dragon is an onomatopoeia of the sound thunder makes. The Chinese name for dragon is pronounced "lóng" in Mandarin Chinese or "lùhng" in the Cantonese. Sometime after the 9th century AD, Japan adopted the Chinese dragon through the spread of Buddhism. Although the indigenous name for a dragon in Japanese is , a few of the Japanese words for dragon stem from the Chinese word for dragon, namely, or (traditional:龍;simplified:竜). The Vietnamese word for dragon is "rồng" (hán tự:龍) and the Korean word for dragon is "ryong" (hangul:용) (hanja:龍).

Animals that may have inspired dragons

Nile crocodiles, today very restricted in range, was in ancient times occasionally found in Southern Europe, having swam across the Mediterranean. Such wayward crocodiles may have inspired dragon myths. Skeletons of whales, as well as dinosaur and mammalian fossils were occasionally mistaken for the bones of dragons and other mythological creatures; for example, a discovery in 300 BC in Wucheng, Sichuan, China, was labeled as such by Chang Qu. Adrienne Mayor has written on the subject of fossils as the inspiration for myths in her book ''The First Fossil Hunters'', and in an entry in the ''Encyclopedia of Geology'' she wrote: "Fossil remains generated a variety of geomyths speculating on the creatures' identity and cause of their destruction. Many ancient cultures, from China and India to Greece, America, and Australia, told tales of dragons, monsters, and giant heroes to account for fossils of animals they had never seen alive." In Australia, stories of such creatures may have referred to the land crocodiles, ''Quinkana'' sp., a terrestrial crocodile which grew to 5 to possibly 7 metres long, or the 4 tonne monitor lizard ''Varanus priscus'' (formerly ''Megalania prisca'') a giant carnivorous goanna that might have grown to 7 metres, and weighed up to 1,940 kilograms, or rainbow serpents (possibly ''Wonambi naracoortensis'') that were part of the extinct megafauna of Australia. Today the Komodo monitor lizard ''Varanus komodoensis'' is known in English as the Komodo dragon.

The ''King James Bible'' uses the words "serpent", "dragon" and "Devil" in a fairly interchangeable manner.

In the book ''An Instinct for Dragons'' anthropologist David E. Jones suggests a hypothesis that humans just like monkeys have inherited instinctive reactions to snakes, large cats and birds of prey. Dragons have features that are combinations of these three. An instinctive fear for these three would explain why dragons with similar features occur in stories from independent cultures on all continents. Other authors have suggested that especially under the influence of drugs or in dreams, this instinct may give rise to fantasies about dragons, snakes, spiders, etc., which would explain why these symbols are popular in drug culture. The traditional mainstream explanation to the folklore dragons does however not rely on human instinct, but on the assumption that fossil remains of dinosaurs gave rise to similar speculations all over the world.

By region

Greek mythology

In Ancient Greece the first mention of a "dragon" is derived from the ''Iliad'' where Agamemnon is described as having a blue dragon motif on his sword belt and a three-headed dragon emblem on his breast plate. However, the Greek word used (δράκων ''drákōn'', genitive δράκοντοϛ ''drákontos'') could also mean "snake". Δράκων ''drákōn'' is a form of the aorist participle active of Greek δέρκομαι ''dérkomai'' = "I see", ''derkeîn'' = "to see", and originally likely meant "that which sees", or "that which flashes or gleams" (perhaps referring to reflective scales). This is the origin of the word "dragon". (See also Hesiod's ''Theogony'', 322.)

In 217 A.D., Flavius Philostratus () discussed dragons (δράκων, drákōn) in India in The Life of Apollonius of Tyana (II,17 and III,6–8). The Loeb Classical Library translation (by F.C. Conybeare) mentions (III,7) that “In most respects the tusks resemble the largest swine’s, but they are slighter in build and twisted, and have a point as unabraded as sharks’ teeth.”

According to a collection of books by Claudius Aelianus () called ''On Animals'', Ethiopia was inhabited by a species of dragon that hunted elephants. It could grow to a length of 180 feet and had a lifespan rivaling that of the most enduring of animals.

European

European dragons exist in folklore and mythology among the overlapping cultures of Europe. Dragons are generally depicted as living in rivers or having an underground lair or cave. They are commonly described as having hard or armoured hide, and are rarely described as flying, despite often depicted with wings.

European dragons are usually depicted as malevolent though there are exceptions (such as Y Ddraig Goch, the Red Dragon of Wales).

Chinese

Chinese dragons () can take on human form and are usually seen as benevolent. Dragons are particularly popular in China and the five-clawed dragon was a symbol of the Chinese emperors, with the mythical bird fenghuang the symbol of the Chinese empress. Dragon costumes manipulated by several people are a common sight at Chinese festivals.

Japanese

Japanese dragon myths amalgamate native legends with imported stories about dragons from China, Korea and India. Like these other Asian dragons, most Japanese ones are water deities associated with rainfall and bodies of water, and are typically depicted as large, wingless, serpentine creatures with clawed feet. Gould writes (1896:248), the Japanese dragon is "invariably figured as possessing three claws".

India

In the early Vedic religion, Vritra (Sanskrit: वृत्र (Devanāgarī) or (IAST)) "the enveloper", was an Asura and also a "naga" (serpent) () or possibly dragon-like creature, the personification of drought and enemy of Indra. Vritra was also known in the Vedas as Ahi ("snake") (), and he is said to have had three heads.

The ''Life of Apollonius of Tyana'' by Flavius Philostratus: contains a long detailed description of India heavily infested with dragons, but this does not correspond with modern Indian belief, and likely not with Indian belief as it was in his time, whether Apollonius invented this story, or whether he believed someone else who told him it.

Persian

Aži Dahāka is the source of the modern Persian word azhdahā or ezhdehā اژده ها (Middle Persian azdahāg) meaning "dragon", often used of a dragon depicted upon a banner of war. The Persians believed that the baby of a dragon will be the same color as the mother's eyes. In Middle Persian he is called Dahāg or Bēvar-Asp, the latter meaning "[he who has] 10,000 horses." Several other dragons and dragon-like creatures, all of them malevolent, are mentioned in Zoroastrian scripture. (See Zahhāk).

Jewish

In Jewish religious texts, the first mention of a dragon-like creature is in the Biblical works of Job (26:13), and Isaiah (27:1) where it is called ''Nachash Bare'ach'', or a "Pole Serpent". This is identified in the Midrash Rabba to Genesis 1:21 as Leviathan from the word ''Taninim'' (תנינים) "and God created the great sea-monsters." In modern Hebrew the word ''Taninim'' is used for Crocodiles but this is a 20th century usage unconnected with the original Biblical meaning.

In later Biblical texts, the Book of Isaiah, the Book of Job, and Psalm 89 refer to a sea-demon called Rahab (not to be confused with Rahab, the woman of Jericho mentioned in the Book of Joshua). equates this Rahab with a dragon or monster. "Rahab" is the English transliteration of רהב (''reb'') with the several meanings: pride, a mythical sea-monster, or Egypt (as an emblematic name). In the Douay-Rheims version, translated via Medieval Latin from the Vulgate, the word ''reb'' is rendered "the proud one" in and and "the power of the sea" in (Psalm 88 is equivalent to Psalm 89 in other versions due to different verse numbering in the Vulgate). The connection between the sea-monster and "Leviathan the serpent" is made in .

In Jewish astronomy this is also identified with the North Pole, the star Thuban which, around 4,500 years ago, was the star in the Draco constellation's "tail". However this can also have been either the celestial pole or the ecliptic pole. The ancient observers noted that Draco was at the top of the celestial pole, giving the appearance that stars were "hanging" from it, and in Hebrew it is referred to as ''Teli'', from talah (תלה) – to hang. Hebrew writers from Arabic-speaking locations identified the ''Teli'' as ''Al Jaz'har'', which is a Persian word for a "knot" or a "node" because of the intersection of the inclination of the orbit of a planet from the elliptic that forms two such nodes. In modern astronomy these are called the ascending node and the descending node, but in medieval astronomy they were referred to as "dragon's head" and "dragon's tail".

The Merthyr Synagogue features a dragon on the front gable.

Modern depictions

In the early 20th century sculpture of the Norwegian artist Gustav Vigeland, inspired by Medieval art, dragons are a frequent theme—as symbols of sin but also as a nature force, fighting against man.

There are numerous examples of dragons in modern media, especially the fantasy genre. In the 1937 fantasy novel ''The Hobbit'' by J.R.R. Tolkien, the major antagonist is a dragon named Smaug. Other dragons appearing in Tolkien's works include Glaurung, the "father of dragons" created by Morgoth, along with Ancalagon the Black and Scatha. Also, in Tolkien's ''Farmer Giles of Ham'', a dragon named Chrysophylax Dives is encountered.

The popular role playing game system Dungeons & Dragons (D&D;) makes heavy use of dragons, and has served as inspiration for many other games' dragons. In D&D;, dragons are typically associated with an element, which makes itself apparent in the dragon's color and the type of its breath weapon. Though dragons usually serve as adversaries, they can be both good and evil, with their alignment being determined by their color. For example, a Red Dragon is evil and associated with fire. Dragons in D&D; grow throughout their lives, both physically and mentally, and are capable of attaining weights in excess of a million pounds.

Dragons also appear frequently in the Harry Potter novels by J. K. Rowling, and are described in the Harry Potter-related book, ''Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'' by the same author.

''Dragonriders of Pern'' is an extensive science fiction series of novels and short stories created and primarily written by Anne McCaffrey. Since 2004, McCaffrey's son, Todd McCaffrey, has also published Pern novels, both in collaboration with Anne and on his own. The Pernese use intelligent firebreathing creatures called ''dragons'', who have a telepathic bond with their riders, formed by mental impressions which the dragons receive when they hatch from their eggs.

Some modern pseudo-biological accounts of dragons give them the generic name ''Draco'', although the generic name ''Draco'' is used in real-world biology for a genus of small gliding agamid lizard. An infectious disease called Dracunculiasis, caused by infection with the Guinea worm which grows up to long before emerging from its host, also derives its name from dragons (literally "infestation with little dragons"), based on the burning pain experienced by sufferers.

Creationists' assertions

Some creationists believe that dragons of mythology were actually dinosaurs, and that they died out with other creatures around the end of the ice age.

Cartography

There is a widespread belief that earlier cartographers used the Latin phrase hic sunt dracones, i.e., "the dragons are here", or "here be dragons", to denote dangerous or unexplored territories, in imitation of the infrequent medieval practice of putting sea serpents and other mythological creatures in blank areas of maps. However the only known use of this phrase is in the Latin form "HC SVNT DRACONES" on the Lenox Globe (ca. 1503–07).

See also

Bat (heraldry)

Dragonology

Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real

Ichneumon (medieval zoology)

Komodo Dragon

List of dragons in literature

List of dragons in mythology and folklore

Saint George and the Dragon

References

Sources

Drury, Nevill, The Dictionary of the Esoteric, Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 2003 ISBN 8120819896

Freedman, Rabbi Dr. H. (translation), Simon M., editor, Midrash Rabbah: Genesis, Volume one, The Soncino Press, London, 1983

Further reading

Knight, Peter. "Sacred Dorset – On the Path of the Dragon", 1998.

External links

Chinese Dragons in the news, BBC

''The Evolution of the Dragon'', by G. Elliot Smith, 1919, from Project Gutenberg

New York Times, April 29, 2003">From Many Imaginations, One Fearsome Creature, New York Times, April 29, 2003

Category:Cryptids Category:Heraldic beasts Category:Mythological hybrids Category:Greek loanwords

af:Draak als:Drache ar:تنين an:Dragón ast:Dragón az:Əjdaha bn:ড্রাগন bs:Zmaj (mitologija) br:Aerouant bg:Дракон ca:Drac cs:Drak cy:Draig da:Drage (fabeldyr) de:Drache (Mythologie) el:Δράκοντας es:Dragón eo:Drako (mitologio) eu:Herensuge fa:اژدها fr:Dragon (mythologie) fy:Draak gl:Dragón ko:드래곤 hi:अझ़दहा hr:Zmaj id:Naga is:Dreki (goðsagnavera) it:Drago he:דרקון kn:ಡ್ರ್ಯಾಗನ್‌ kw:Dragon ku:Ejdî la:Draco lv:Pūķis lb:Draach (Mythologie) hu:Sárkány ml:വ്യാളി mzn:ایژدیها ms:Naga nl:Draak (fabeldier) ja:ドラゴン no:Drage nrm:Dragon nov:Drake oc:Dragon om:Dragon pl:Smok pt:Dragão ro:Dragon ru:Дракон sco:Draigon sq:Dragoi simple:Dragon sk:Drak sl:Zmaj sr:Змај sh:Zmaj fi:Lohikäärme sv:Drake tl:Dragon te:డ్రాగన్ th:มังกร tr:Ejderha uk:Змій vi:Rồng zh-yue:西洋龍 zh:龙 (西方)

birth name	Jorge Luis Flores Sánchez
birth date	February 22, 1974
birth place	Bayamón, Puerto Rico
yearsactive	1993 – present
occupation	drag queen, DJ, make-up artist }}

Jorge Luis Flores Sánchez (born February 22, 1974), better known as Nina Flowers, is a Puerto Rican drag queen, DJ, activist, professional make-up artist, and reality television personality who has been performing since 1993.

Biography

Flowers was born in 1974 in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. He started his drag career in March 1993, where he performed at local San Juan gay venues such as Krash (also known as ''Eros'') and Club Lazer. In 1999, he participated in and won both the ''Miss Puerto Rico Continental'' and ''Miss City Lights Continental'' pageants.

Television

Flowers won an on-line vote to become a cast member on Logo's popular reality series, ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', which premiered on the network in February 2009. Flowers finished in second place and won the ''Miss Congeniality'' award during the first season's reunion special. The publicity generated by his participation on the show brought many new opportunities to perform at various national and international LGBT events including ''Denver Pride'', ''San Juan Pride'', ''Chicago Pride'' and ''Vancouver Pride''.

Besides his participation on RuPaul's Drag Race, Flowers (along with season two contestant Jessica Wild) has performed on the popular Puerto Rican television program ''Objetivo Fama'', which airs throughout the United States and Latin America.

In early 2010, Flowers joined the of cast of Logo's new reality series, RuPaul's Drag U. This summer replacement series premiered on July 19, 2010.

Music

In December 2009, Flowers (in collaboration with DJ Ranny) released his first dance single "Loca", which was available for purchase via iTunes and other commercial music sites. The single has been remixed by such notable remixers as William Umana, Joe Gauthreaux, and Manny Lehman. The single reached its highest spot (#15) on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play the week of 30 January 2010. Continuing his first successful venture in the dance music industry, Flowers released his first EP of original songs on July 15, 2010. Titled ''Start Your Engines,'' the album is a compilation of six tracks that he and producer/remixer William Umana produced. The first single, "Locas in da House," utilizes Flowers's trademark catchphrase in a tribal house anthem. In January 2011, Flowers released his new dance single "I'm Feelin Flowers", which he produced in collaboration with Miami-based deejay/producer DJ MDW.

Personal life

Flowers and his partner, Antonio Purcell de Ogenio, presently reside in Denver, Colorado. In addition to his careers in drag and make-up, Flowers is one of the resident deejays at ''Track's'', Denver's largest gay nightclub.

Discography

; EP

''Start Your Engines'' (2010)

; Singles

''"Loca"'' (2009)

''"Locas in Da House"'' (2010)

''"I'm Feelin Flowers"'' (2011)

''"Tip"'' (2011)

References

External links

Official website

Nina Flowers on the Internet Movie Database

Nina Flowers on Facebook

Nina Flowers on MySpace

Nina Flowers on Twitter

Nina Flowers on YouTube

Nina Flowers interview on Logo

Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:American dance musicians Category:American female impersonators Category:American make-up artists Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:LGBT people from Puerto Rico Category:LGBT Hispanic and Latino American people Category:LGBT musicians from the United States Category:People from Bayamón, Puerto Rico Category:People from Denver, Colorado

Betty Blowtorch was an all-female American hard rock band from Southern California.

Biography

The band was formed in 1998 by three members of Butt Trumpet. After releasing the 2001 album, ''Are You Man Enough?'', the group toured with Nashville Pussy. During the tour, drummer Judy Molish and guitarist Sharon Needles left the group; Jennifer Finch from L7 joined in their stead. In December 2001, lead singer and bassist Bianca Halstead (Butthole) was killed in a car crash in New Orleans, which marked the end of the group. A collection of rarities and live performances was released as ''Last Call'' in 2003.

They are the focus of Antonia Scarpa's documentary film, ''Betty Blowtorch And Her Amazing True Life Adventures''.

Halstead is buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Blare N. Bitch and Sharon Needles are currently both members of the Los Angeles based band, Psychostar.

Members

Bianca Butthole (Bianca Halstead) - bass, vocals

Sharon Needles - rhythm guitar, vocals

Blare N. Bitch - lead guitar

Judy Molish - drums

Discography

''Get Off'' (Foil Records, 1999)

*01 - "Betty Blowtorch Anthem"

*02 - "Fish Taco"

*03 - "I Wanna Be Your Sucker"

*04 - "Shut Up & Fuck"

*05 - "Party Til Ya Puke"

*06 - "Get Off"

''Are You Man Enough?'' (Foodchain Records, 2001)

*01 - "Hell On Wheels"

*02 - "Love/Hate"

*03 - "Size Queen" (featuring Vanilla Ice)

*04 - "I Wanna Be Your Sucker"

*05- "I'm Ugly and I Don't Know Why"

*06 - "Shut Up and Fuck"

*07 - "No Integrity"

*08 - "Frankie"

*09 - "I Wish You'd Die"

*10 - "Big Hair, Broken Heart"

*11 - "Part-Time Hooker"

*12 - "Rock My World"

*13 - "Dresses"

*14 - "Strung Out"

*15 - "Rock 'N Roll 69"

''Last Call'' (Foodchain, 2003)

References

External links

Official website

Category:All-female bands Category:Musical groups from California Category:American punk rock groups

es:Betty Blowtorch it:Betty Blowtorch pl:Betty Blowtorch

birth name	Nea Marshall Kudi
birth date	March 20, 1981
birth place	Cameroon
years active	1997 – present
occupation	Drag performer, Singer }}

Nea Marshall Kudi (born March 20, 1981), better known as BeBe Zahara Benet, is a former male model, a drag queen from Cameroon and winner of the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar" from the first season of the popular reality television series ''RuPaul's Drag Race''.

Biography

Kudi's first experience with drag was at a Paris fashion show, where he was asked to put on a dress to walk the runway as a female at the last minute when a model didn't show up. Kudi describes his drag persona Bebe as "a strong and beautiful character illusion created for entertainment and the artistic expression of the feminine."

Music

Benet's first dance single, ''"I'm the Sh*t"'' was released on November 16, 2009. The single has been remixed by such notable remixers as Felix Baumgartner, Ralphi Rosario and Mark Picchiotti. He released his sophomore single ''"Cameroon"'' in July 2010. Benet made a cameo appearance in the music video for Erasure's re-release of their song, ''A Little Respect'', in December 2010 (which was a fundraiser for students of the Harvey Milk Institute in San Francisco.)

Television

Benet won the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar" on the first season of Logo's popular reality series, ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', which premiered on the network in February 2009. Benet's prizes included an l.a. eyeworks print ad campaign, US$20,000 from Absolut Vodka and MAC Cosmetics, a fashion spread in Paper magazine, and a spot on the national Absolut Pride tour.

Personal life

Kudi resides in New York City. Upon arriving in the United States from France, Kudi first settled in Minneapolis to be closer to family.

Discography

; Singles

''"I'm The Sh*t"'' (2010)

''"Cameroon"'' (2010)

References

External links

Official website

BeBe Zahara Benet on the Internet Movie Database

BeBe Zahara Benet on Facebook

BeBe Zahara Benet on MySpace

Bebe Zahara Benet on Twitter

Bebe Zahara Benet's interview on Logo

BeBe Zahara Bene on YouTube

Category:Drag queens Category:Living people Category:1981 births Category:People from Minneapolis, Minnesota

"The Man" is a slang phrase that may refer to the government or to some other authority in a position of power. In addition to this derogatory connotation, it may also serve as a term of respect and praise. Also, " The Man is coming" is a term used to frighten small children who are misbehaving.

The phrase "the Man is keeping me down" is commonly used to describe oppression. The phrase "stick it to the Man" encourages resistance to authority, and essentially means "fight back" or "resist", either openly or via sabotage.

History

The term "the Man" in the American sense dates back to the late 19th Century. In the Southern U.S. states, the phrase came to be applied to any man or any group in a position of authority, or to authority in the abstract. From about the 1950s the phrase was also an underworld code word for police, the warden of a prison or other law enforcement or penal authorities.

It was also used as a term for a drug dealer in the 1950s and 1960s and can be seen in such media as Curtis Mayfield's "No Thing On Me", William Burroughs's novel ''Naked Lunch'', and in the Velvet Underground song "I'm Waiting for the Man", in which Lou Reed sings about going to Uptown Manhattan, specifically Lexington Avenue and 125th Street, to buy heroin.

The use of this term was expanded to counterculture groups and their battles against authority, such as the Yippies, which, according to a May 19, 1969 article in ''U.S. News and World Report'', had the "avowed aim ... to destroy 'The Man', their term for the present system of government". The term eventually found its way into humorous usage, such as in a December 1979 motorcycle ad from the magazine ''Easyriders'' which featured the tagline, "California residents: Add 6% sales tax for The Man."

In present day, the phrase has been popularized in commercials and cinema.

Use as praise

The term has also been used as an approbation or form of praise. This may refer to the recipient's status as the leader or authority within a particular context, or it might be assumed to be a shortened form of a phrase like "He is the man (who is in charge)." One example of this usage dates to 1879 when Otto von Bismarck commented, referring to Benjamin Disraeli's pre-eminent position at the Congress of Berlin, "The old Jew, he is the man."

In more modern usage, it can be a superlative compliment ("you da man!") indicating that the subject is currently standing out amongst his peers even though they have no special designation or rank, such as a basketball player who is performing better than the other players on the court. It can also be used as a genuine compliment with an implied, slightly exaggerated or sarcastic tone, usually indicating that the person has indeed impressed the speaker but by doing something relatively trivial.

See also

Absentee landlord

Big Brother (''Nineteen Eighty-Four'')

New World Order (conspiracy theory)

Ruling class

The Establishment

Power elite

Corrections officer

YTMND

Notes

References

Lighter, J.E. (Ed.). (1997). ''Random House Dictionary of American Slang''. New York: Random House.

Category:Slang expressions Category:Stock characters Category:English idioms Category:Pejorative terms for people Category:Military-industrial complex