Zelig-like (adj.) = (of a person) attending many of the most significant occasions of the 20th century; OR able to change their appearance or attitude, so as to be at ease in any situation (‘zelig’ is pronounced ‘zel-ig’) for full explanation, see box below
e.g. US President Ronald Reagan was thrown, Zelig-like, into some key events of the 20th century, such as the USA’s 1986 bombing of Libya and the ending of the Cold War
or
e.g. Within a couple of hours of being introduced to the parents of her boyfriend, she was subconsciously copying some of their facial gestures, Zelig-like as she was
‘Zelig-like’ derives from the name of Leonard Zelig, the protagonist in Woody Allen’s film Zelig (1983). Zelig is a chameleon of a man, who has such a strong desire to fit in and be liked that he automatically takes on the traits of any personality in his vicinity.
In the film, when the media takes an interest in a psychiatrist’s attempts to cure him, Zelig becomes world famous. He starts to associate with fellow celebrities from the 20th century, like Al Capone and F. Scott Fitzgerald (with Woody Allen’s technical wizadry allowing Zelig to appear to stand alongside these figures on screen).
Nowadays, ‘Zelig-like’ refers to either a person who is as chameleonic as the fictional Leonard Zelig is (such as the use of ‘Zelig-like’ in this sentence, ‘He was happy to dispense advice to both the Democrats and the Republicans since he was Zelig-like in his own political affiliations’); or else, ‘Zelig-like’ simply refers to a person who was as ubiquitous as Zelig was (in the film), where he hobnobs with virtually all of the stars of – and attends many of the main events of – the 20th century.
zephyr (noun) = a very light piece of clothing (pronounced ‘zef-er’) from the Greek, zephuros: (god of) the west wind; a ‘zephyr’ can also mean in English ‘a soft gentle breeze’
e.g. The name ‘Coco Chanel’ summons up a zephyr-clad nymph; but, in fact, the fashionista was allegedly a Nazi collaborator
zeugma (noun) = a figure of speech where a word applies to two other words but in different ways (e.g. ‘Gwendoline and her passport expired last week’); or to two words when it only really semantically suits one of these two (e.g. ‘with wailing mouths and hearts’) (pronounced ‘zug-ma’) from the Greek, zeugnunai: to yoke, related to zugon: yoke
e.g. The singer Alanis Morissette seems to be a fan of zeugma, as evidenced by her lyrics, ‘You held your breath and the door for me’
Zionist (adj.) = (of a person) supporting a Jewish national state in Israel (pronounced ‘zahy-uh-nizt’) for full explanation, see box below
e.g. There has been universal condemnation of those conspiracy theorists who insist that 9/11 was a Zionist plot, designed to provoke the United States into attacking Israel’s enemies
According to Judaism, Israel is a land promised to the Jews by God (as set down in the Bible); and ‘Zion’ – referred to in the Bible by the Hebrew word ‘Tsiyon’ – is a hill in Jerusalem that has long stood as a symbol for this Land of Israel. (Hence one who is pro-Zion, or a ‘Zionist’, is pro- not just the hill, but also the concept of Israel.)
After several instances of anti-semitic persecution around 1900 – including the pogroms in Russia – Jewish scholars advocated the return of Jews to their historical homeland of Israel, a process that culminated in the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. Today, almost half of all Jews worldwide reside in Israel.
Critics of Zionism say that it is a racist movement, as it promotes segregation on the grounds of race (i.e. apartheid). In fact, the UN passed a resolution in 1975 officially deeming Zionism ‘a form of racism’ (this resolution was repealed in 1991). Many in the Middle East see the Israelis as foreign aggressors, pointing out that there was no Israel 100 years ago, and claiming that the land now known as Israel in fact belongs to the Palestinian Arabs (who were forcibly displaced to make way for the newcomers). In addition, many countries – notably Iran – regard Israel as Muslim territory that must be repatriated. On the other hand, though, Israelis claim that anti-Zionism is just anti-semitism dressed up in a different way.