alter ego

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alter ego

1. Another side of oneself; a second self.

2. An intimate friend or a constant companion.

[Latin : alter, other + ego, I, self.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

alter ego

(ˈæltər ˈiːɡəʊ; ˈɛɡəʊ)

1. a second self

2. a very close and intimate friend

[Latin: other self]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

al•ter e•go

(ˈɔl tər ˈi goʊ, ˌɛg oʊ, ˈæl-)
n.

1. an inseparable friend.

2. a second self; a perfect substitute or deputy.

3. another aspect of one's personality.

[1530–40; < Latin: another I]

alter ego

A Latin phrase meaning other self, used to mean a very close friend or associate.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun

alter ego - a very close and trusted friend who seems almost a part of yourself

friend - a person you know well and regard with affection and trust; "he was my best friend at the university"

Translations

alter ego

[ˈæltərˈiːgəʊ] N → álter ego m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

alter ego

n → Alter ego nt

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

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References in classic literature ?

Ferguson had a friend--not another self, indeed, an alter ego, for friendship could not exist between two beings exactly alike.

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And, as John Barleycorn heated his way into my brain, thawing my reticence, melting my modesty, talking through me and with me and as me, my adopted twin brother and alter ego, I, too, raised my voice to show myself a man and an adventurer, and bragged in detail and at length of how I had crossed San Francisco Bay in my open skiff in a roaring southwester when even the schooner sailors doubted my exploit.

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Maston, with much feeling, "I am a friend of the president's, his alter ego , his second self; if you really must kill some one, shoot me!

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It comes over me that I had then a strange ALTER EGO deep down somewhere within me, as the full-blown flower is in the small tight bud, and that I just took the course, I just transferred him to the climate, that blighted him for once and for ever."

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These people might not take that high view of you which I have always taken, as an alter ego, a right hand-- though I always looked forward to your doing something else.

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In a press conference at the House of Representatives, Alvarez said members of the Cabinet should not disagree with the President being the chief executive's alter egos.

Alvarez urges Cabinet members who disagree with Duterte to resign

Brownie and Graydon present a comprehensive examination of the relationship between superheroes, their costumes, and their alter egos as they are portrayed across popular culture.

The Superhero Costume: Identity and Disguise in Fact and Fiction

Superpowered with silliness, "Alter Egos" is a comedy about second-string heroes, but has a first-rate sense of humor thanks to a wry script by helmer Jordan Galland, making up for what he lacks in visual style with frequently sharp comedic dialogue.

Alter Egos

EXPANDING foam, strings to another world and alter egos form part of an exhibition of work by Huddersfield University students.

Alter egos

Jenny, 31, who dressed in a blue crop top and white three quarter length trousers, posed with posters of Bruno, and told reporters: "I think I'm a little bit in love." Cohen's previous alter egos include Ali G and Borat..

Jenny Frost 'a bit in love'

Dame Edna and Sir Les Patterson are of course alter egos of Aussie comedian Barry Humphries and he collaborated with renowned composer and conductor Carl Davis CBE to create this show 28 years ago.