Copycat
The term
copycat (also written as
copy-cat or
copy cat or
cc) refers to the tendency of humans to duplicate the
behavior of others, as expressed in the saying, "
monkey see, monkey do as."
This notably happens in the case of "copycat crimes", where a notorious or unusual crime inspires a wave of similar activity; this can happen with crimes ranging from
shoplifting of particular items and
graffiti, up to
copycat suicides and
murders. The term is used both for the act and for the person. It is often used in the derogatory sense, meaning a
plagiarist. The "
copycat effect" refers to the tendency of sensational publicity about a violent murder or suicide to cause more of the same.
The expression may have originated from observing the habits of
kittens that learned by imitating the behaviors of their mother. Copycat has been in recorded use since at least
1896, in
Sarah Orne Jewett's "
The Country of the Pointed Firs" but the expression could be many decades older.
*
Copycat is also the name of a character of the
Marvel Universe. A mutant, whose ability was to duplicate the form of any person nearby.
Copycat was later killed by
Sabretooth.
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Copycat is also the name of a 1995 thriller starring
Sigourney Weaver about a serial murderer in San Franscico whose
MO is to copy the killings of high profile killers.
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CopyCat is also an alternative "full name" for
CC (cat), a
cloned cat created in 2001.
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Copycat is also a computer model of analogy-making, developed by
Douglas Hofstadter and
Melanie Mitchell.
*The
Copycats are a villainous musical band of
anthropomorphic cats in the cartoon
Kidd Video.
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Copycat is also the name of a character of the
Wildstorm Universe. She is a genetically enhanced member of the super team
DV8.
*
Copycat is also the nickname of a very minor character in the
Pokémon Red/Blue/
Yellow games in
Saffron City. Giving her a PokéDoll will make her happy enough to give you TM 31, Mimic, which makes the user copy one enemy attack.
*The
Copycat effect is where reporting on a tragic event causes others to perform similar behaviour.
*
Copycat is the name of a
Java sketchpad that records writing and speaking, see [https://copycat.dev.java.net/ Copycat]
*An information technology company based in east Africa. [
1]
*
Meme
