Timeline for can I say "he /she is a unicorn"?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
9 events
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| Apr 27, 2019 at 15:12 | comment | added | Andrew | @jonathanjo I understand. I couldn't say whether this slang is common among young people in the US, as I'm far too old to know what is common among young people these days. I do know that I instantly recognized the meaning of the term in this context. In any case "unattainable" is inherent in the meaning of the slang since, as you say, a unicorn is as mythical a creature as is the "perfect romantic partner". But it doesn't mean people can't hope. :) | |
| Apr 27, 2019 at 15:09 | history | edited | Andrew | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
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| Apr 27, 2019 at 12:03 | comment | added | jonathanjo | thanks: To be clear, I'm not suggesting people don't say it, I'm trying to learn who says it so I can edit my answer correctly. I've asked a few other UK speakers today about it, only the younger ones knew it and felt it sounded US. As metaphor I wouldn't know except from context whether it meant "unattainable" or "incredibly rare" or (as your interesting linked article defines it) "unique". | |
| Apr 26, 2019 at 20:25 | history | edited | Andrew | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
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| Apr 26, 2019 at 20:15 | comment | added | Andrew | @jonathanjo This guy, for one: "Who is your unicorn?". This was the third or fourth result from a Google search for "He is my unicorn". There's also the stuff in Urban dictionary. I get this may be more an American than a British expression, but it seems a pretty straightforward metaphor that any English speaker should understand, in the right context. | |
| Apr 26, 2019 at 14:34 | comment | added | jonathanjo | I'm curious who uses what you give here "If you want to suggest that person is your perfect romantic partner, say: He/she is my unicorn." I'm wondering what group of people say it, as I've never heard it. | |
| Apr 26, 2019 at 14:20 | comment | added | Andrew | @jonathanjo "He is our unicorn", possibly. But it would likely have a different meaning in that context, possibly something like "The ideal liberal candidate to defeat Donald Trump in the 2020 election yet at the same time appeal to every possible Democratic voting block" | |
| Apr 26, 2019 at 6:56 | comment | added | jonathanjo | Can I ask what group you would hear say "He is my unicorn" ? I've never heard anyone say it in the UK. | |
| Apr 26, 2019 at 6:20 | history | answered | Andrew | CC BY-SA 4.0 |