GLITTERATI

plural noun (Lifestyle and Leisure) In media slang (originally in the US): the celebrities or 'glittering stars' of fashionable society, especially those from the world of literature and entertainment. Etymology: Formed by telescoping glitter and literati (the people who form the literate, educated ÷lite) into a blend. History and Usage: A name for the group once known as the beautiful people or jet set, glitterati became a popular term in the media in the late seventies and early eighties, when conspicuous glitter especially characterized the stars of show business (see glitzy below). The punning name glitterati had in fact been coined in Time magazine as long ago as 1956, in an article about a party for publicity-conscious editors: Bobbing and weaving about the premises are a passel of New York glitterati. There is a highbrow editor of a popular magazine who is keen on starting a new literary journal and wants Tom to round up a staff of 'topnotchers' and decorated veterans from the little magazine wars. In the late eighties and early nineties it was used for famous or successful people in any field of public interest, from business and politics to pop music and sport. In the first two episodes, the mix also runs to Thatcherite glitterati (nesting in their Thameside lofts) and disco gays. Listener 30 May 1985, p. 34 In a Lions tour of Australia that has been desperately short of glitterati England's blind-side flanker has emerged as a player of top quality. Guardian 15 July 1989, p. 19