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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Name for someone who is equally skilled at two things #170989 10/29/2007 9:28 PM Joined: Oct 2007 Posts: 9 Rintrah stranger Rintrah stranger Joined: Oct 2007 Posts: 9 In the popular (nerdy) fantasy tabletop game, Dungeons and Dragons, there's been a lot of head-scratching over the years to come up with a word to call characters who know both magic and swordplay. The archetype doesn't really exist in classical mythology, so there isn't (to my knowledge) a word for it in the English language. Past solutions have ranged from being unimaginative ("Hey, let's call 'em fighter/mages!") to too imaginative ("They are called 'gishes.' That's right, like the Smashing Pumpkins album.") In an upcoming book, one of the writers over at D&D is calling the concept a "swordmage," a name which, for me, conjures the image of a cross between Merlin and a Marlin. I was wondering, however, if there was a fairly neutral word used to describe a person who is equally skilled in two fields. For instance, a high school student who is both valedictorian and captain of the football team. I'd call them an overachiever, but is there anything else they might be called? I've thought of polymath, although that implies that the person has more than two fields of expertise. Any help would be appreciated, although I'm prepared to accept that there simply is no such word. I just thought I'd turn it over to the linguaphiles here to think about. Copy Link to Clipboard Re: Name for someone who is equally skilled at two things Rintrah #170990 10/29/2007 9:36 PM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 6,511 lower upstate New York AnnaStrophic Carpal Tunnel AnnaStrophic Carpal Tunnel Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 6,511 lower upstate New York How about bimath or dimath? Copy Link to Clipboard Re: Name for someone who is equally skilled at two things AnnaStrophic #170992 10/29/2007 9:42 PM Joined: Jun 2002 Posts: 7,210 Vermont Buffalo Shrdlu Carpal Tunnel Buffalo Shrdlu Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jun 2002 Posts: 7,210 Vermont as a mage who wields a sword in World of Warcraft, I like swordmage. Last edited by etaoin; 10/30/2007 11:55 AM. formerly known as etaoin... Copy Link to Clipboard Re: Name for someone who is equally skilled at two things Buffalo Shrdlu #170997 10/29/2007 10:02 PM Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 3,290 R'lyeh zmjezhd Carpal Tunnel zmjezhd Carpal Tunnel Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 3,290 R'lyeh I would go with mage militant. Ceci n'est pas un seing. Copy Link to Clipboard Re: Name for someone who is equally skilled at two things Rintrah #171001 10/29/2007 11:51 PM Joined: Oct 2007 Posts: 9 Rintrah stranger Rintrah stranger Joined: Oct 2007 Posts: 9 I also thought of Rambomancer... Last edited by Rintrah; 10/29/2007 11:52 PM. Copy Link to Clipboard Re: Name for someone who is equally skilled at two things Rintrah #171015 10/30/2007 11:56 AM Joined: Jun 2002 Posts: 7,210 Vermont Buffalo Shrdlu Carpal Tunnel Buffalo Shrdlu Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jun 2002 Posts: 7,210 Vermont Originally Posted By: Rintrah I also thought of Rambomancer... no. formerly known as etaoin... Copy Link to Clipboard Re: Name for someone who is equally skilled at two things Buffalo Shrdlu #171019 10/30/2007 12:44 PM Joined: Oct 2007 Posts: 9 Rintrah stranger Rintrah stranger Joined: Oct 2007 Posts: 9 Originally Posted By: etaoin Originally Posted By: Rintrah I also thought of Rambomancer... no. I say I say that was a joke, son. Yuh' suppos'd ta laugh. Copy Link to Clipboard Re: Name for someone who is equally skilled at two things Rintrah #171024 10/30/2007 3:35 PM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Louisville, Kentucky Jackie Carpal Tunnel Jackie Carpal Tunnel Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Louisville, Kentucky Wow, Rintrah, you must be really old, if you know about Foghorn Leghorn. (I say I say that was a joke, son. Yuh' suppos'd ta laugh.) Welcome! How about just calling them ambidexters? Or maybe ambifighters? Nah...ambitalents? Copy Link to Clipboard Re: Name for someone who is equally skilled at two things Buffalo Shrdlu #171041 10/30/2007 7:38 PM Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 Netherlands, the Hague BranShea Carpal Tunnel BranShea Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 Netherlands, the Hague Real nice picture, but the song is mightier than the sword. Copy Link to Clipboard Re: Name for someone who is equally skilled at two things Rintrah #171043 10/30/2007 7:56 PM Joined: May 2005 Posts: 456 SE US Aramis addict Aramis addict Joined: May 2005 Posts: 456 SE US A. will go out on a limb here with "Jack of Two Trades". ÅΓª╥┐↕§ Copy Link to Clipboard Re: Name for someone who is equally skilled at two things Rintrah #171045 10/30/2007 8:05 PM Joined: Jun 2002 Posts: 7,210 Vermont Buffalo Shrdlu Carpal Tunnel Buffalo Shrdlu Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jun 2002 Posts: 7,210 Vermont Originally Posted By: Rintrah Originally Posted By: etaoin Originally Posted By: Rintrah I also thought of Rambomancer... no. I say I say that was a joke, son. Yuh' suppos'd ta laugh. I had certainly hoped, but was just making sure! formerly known as etaoin... Copy Link to Clipboard Re: Name for someone who is equally skilled at two things Jackie #171087 11/01/2007 10:54 PM Joined: Nov 2007 Posts: 99 Hungarian Gypsy R. Eastcourt journeyman R. Eastcourt journeyman Joined: Nov 2007 Posts: 99 Hungarian Gypsy Jackie HR's all over the country are looking for multi-taskers. C'mon, how many of us can multi-task? But........ambi-talented? You get my resume. Copy Link to Clipboard Re: Name for someone who is equally skilled at two things Jackie #171102 11/02/2007 4:19 PM Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass tsuwm Carpal Tunnel tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass apropos of ambidexter, and nothing damn else.. In 17th c. generally spelt ambodexter, after L. ambo both. 1613 SIR H. FINCH Law (1636) 186 To call..an Attornie Ambodexter, or to say that he dealeth corruptly. 1705 HICKERINGILL Priest-cr. I. (1721) 44 Nor Ambodexter Lawyers take a Fee On both sides. [OED2] -joe (ambosinistrous) friday Copy Link to Clipboard Re: Name for someone who is equally skilled at two things tsuwm #171126 11/04/2007 4:37 PM Joined: Nov 2000 Posts: 3,439 New England, USA wow Carpal Tunnel wow Carpal Tunnel Joined: Nov 2000 Posts: 3,439 New England, USA Multimage Copy Link to Clipboard Re: Name for someone who is equally skilled at two things wow #171127 11/04/2007 4:38 PM Joined: Nov 2000 Posts: 3,439 New England, USA wow Carpal Tunnel wow Carpal Tunnel Joined: Nov 2000 Posts: 3,439 New England, USA Or duomage trimage etc etc Copy Link to Clipboard Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. 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