drop names
(redirected from drop someone's name)drop names
To mention important people as if they are one's friends or associates, usually in an attempt to receive preferential treatment. A: "I know Jim, the owner, OK?" B: "You can drop names all you want, but you're still not getting into this restaurant any time soon."
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
drop names
and drop someone's nameto mention a name or the names of important or famous people as if they were personal friends. (See also drop someone's name.) Mary always tries to impress people by dropping the name of some big-time executives she claims to know. Bill's such a snob. Leave it to him to drop the names of all the local gentry.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
drop names
Refer to important persons as acquaintances in order to impress the listener. For example, Her habit of dropping names made everyone very skeptical about her veracity. [Mid-1900s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
drop names
refer frequently to well-known people in such a way as to imply that they are close acquaintances.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
drop ˈnames
mention famous people you know or have met in order to impress others ▶ ˈname-dropping noun: I can’t stand all this name-dropping! Does he really know Brad Pitt?Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
name dropping
Also, to drop names. Mentioning the names of famous persons to imply that one is on familiar terms with them. The term dates from the mid-1900s. J. D. Salinger had an amusing take on it in Franny and Zooey (1962): “There’s an unwritten law that people in a certain social or financial bracket may name drop as much as they like just as long as they say something terribly disparaging about the person as soon as they’ve dropped his name.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer