mimophant

English

Etymology

Blend of mimosa +‎ elephant, coined by Arthur Koestler in 1972.

Noun

mimophant (plural mimophants)

1. (uncommon) A person with extreme social self-centered double standards, especially about personal feelings.

   Hypernym: narcissist

   • 2003, James Lees-Milne, Beneath A Waning Moon; Diaries, 1985–1987, page 31:

     Sunday, 16th June [1985]...Nico has invented a portmanteau word which applies to people like Garrett and Derek Hill, who are keenly sensitive about their own feelings while treading on the toes of others. It is ‘mimophant’. The mimosa is reputed to curl up when touched; the elephant - well!

   • 2004, David Edmonds, John Eidinow, Bobby Fischer Goes To War, page 24:

     In Rejkjavik to cover the match, the novelist Arthur Koestler famously coined the neologism "mimophant" to describe Fischer. "A mimophant is a hybrid species: a cross between a mimosa and an elephant. A member of this species is sensitive like a mimosa where his own feelings are concerned and thick-skinned like an elephant trampling over the feelings of others."

See also

• narcissistic
• Narcissistic personality disorder