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Nobody, as a countable noun, can mean "a very unimportant person" as in:
A man in my position has nothing to fear from a nobody like you.
But I don't quite sure about this example from the free dictionary:
I knew him when he was nobody.
Is it also correct to say I knew him when he was a nobody? Any reason behind this?
How about He is nobody VS He is a nobody?
To be nobody is to lack reputation and its prerogatives.
To be a nobody is to be one of the multitude of nobodies who lack reputation and its prerogatives.
