Zelig

[ zel-ig ]

/ ˈzɛl ɪg /

a chameleonlike person who is unusually ubiquitous.

Origin of Zelig

from Leonard Zelig, main character in Zelig, 1984 film by W. Allen

Zelig ²

[ zee-lig, zel-ig ]

/ ˈzi lɪg, ˈzɛl ɪg /

a male given name: from a Germanic word meaning “blessed.”

Franco himself is the Zelig of the literary world these days.

3 Must Reads: ‘Kayak Morning,’ ‘Mr. g,’ and ‘Alex Gilvarry’ |Hillary Kelly, Mythili Rao, Jacob Silverman |February 8, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
He is the Zelig from hell, a Francostein monster, a send-up of democracy and a travesty of meritocracy.

Lawsuit Over a Bad NYU Grade? Put James Franco in Detention! |Lee Siegel |December 22, 2011 |DAILY BEAST
The New York Times called Gorseki the “Zelig of New York Fashion Week” last year.

Brad Goreski: On Styling, His New Show & Leaving Rachel Zoe |Isabel Wilkinson |December 20, 2011 |DAILY BEAST
The Bellman, in which “Zelig” appeared, is remarkable for the brilliance and power of its fiction.

The Best Short Stories of 1915 |Various

I suppose there can be no doubt that “Zelig” is by all odds the most nobly conceived and finely wrought story of the year.

The Best Short Stories of 1915 |Various
With them the cantor signed a contract by which Zelig was bound to him as a kind of musical apprentice for three years.

The Spirit of the Ghetto |Hutchins Hapgood
Before we get pistols and learn to use them well be asleep under a quilt of earth, said Zelig.

The White Terror and The Red |Abraham Cahan