ZANY
In the modern word a person who doesn’t fit the mould is sometimes called zany.
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In the 16th century the Italian theatre developed the commedia dell’arte, where comedies developed from ordinary life.
One of these characters in the commedia dell’arte was a clown who mimicked the actions of his principal.
The stock name for such a character was Zanni, which developed from the Italian name Giovanni, which in English was a name for John.
I wasn’t able to find an illustration before the time of Shakespeare.
Writing in Love’s Labour Lost, Shakespeare wrote: “Some carry-tale, some pleaseman, some slight Zanie, that knows the trick to make my lady laugh”.
By the early 17th century an anybody who made a laughing stock of himself to amuse others was called a zany.
Slightly crazy?
From, that developed the meaning of slightly crazy.
Commedia dell'arte (which translates as “theatre of the professional”) began in Italy in the early 16th century and quickly spread throughout Europe, creating a lasting influence on Shakespeare, Molière, opera, vaudeville, contemporary musical theatre, sitcoms, and comedy.
Commedia dell'arte is a form of theatre characterised by masked "types" which began in Italy in the 16th century and was responsible for the advent of the actresses and improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios.
The name zany was broadened out to buffoon in the 17th century, but the name zany does not seem to have established itself as an adjective until the 19th century.
Meaning seems to change
But the name seems to have adopted a slightly softer image, very softly.
Ambrose Bierce in his 1881 dictionary said a zany was a popular character in Italian plays who imitated with ludicrous incompetence the buffoon, or clown “and was therefore the ape of an ape, for the clown himself imitated the serious characters olf the play”.
Webster says a zany is a “silly person or simpleton”.
The Macquarie says zany represents “an apish buffoon”.
Words similar to zany might include comical, eccentric, kooky, loony, clownish, hair-brained, nutty.
Maybe you would be better off if you steered clear of zany, unless you know the person really well.
Maybe not even then.
About Laurie Barber:
Laurie joined the Port Macquarie News as editor in 1982, retiring from his post on September 29, 2005.
Since then he has continued to write his column My Word.
Mr Barber is a staunch supporter of the written word and the importance of regional newspapers, he said, at the time: "People said country newspapers would die when radio came along.
They didn't.
They said television would be the end of country newspapers. It wasn't. Now they say the internet will kill off country newspapers. It won't".
lauriebarber.com;
lbword@midcoast.com.au.