Answer by Scott Baker for Light-hearted alternative for "very knowledgeable...
In my company, we have an actual position for these people - Subject Matter Expert (SME). In conversation, we refer to them as smees or a smee.
View ArticleAnswer by chasly - supports Monica for Light-hearted alternative for "very...
brain box2 chiefly British : a very intelligent person I was good atschool; I was a total brain box. At a small town school, being brainywas not necessarily an asset.— Karine Polwart, quoted in...
View ArticleAnswer by Peter Fox for Light-hearted alternative for "very knowledgeable...
Be careful as these terms are often quite specific to an era and culture. Avoid these:Brainiac - 1950's USAWonk - 2000+ bullshitterBoffin - 1940s or 3rd person reference to some technical personMaven -...
View ArticleAnswer by AJFaraday for Light-hearted alternative for "very knowledgeable...
These aren't particularly respectful but there are a few which haven't been mentioned yet."Smarty pants" - Usually if someone is highly willing to share their knowledge, to the point of being...
View ArticleAnswer by barbecue for Light-hearted alternative for "very knowledgeable...
Brainiac is often used for this. Although it originally was the name of a comic supervillain, when used to describe a person, it doesn't imply any evil or villainous behavior, but just a very...
View ArticleAnswer by Ethan Bolker for Light-hearted alternative for "very knowledgeable...
Consider "maven"ma·ven/ˈmāvən/noun informal•North Americannoun: maven; plural noun: mavensan expert or connoisseur."fashion mavens"Origin1960s: Yiddish.Definitions from Oxford Languages (google...
View ArticleAnswer by Kirk Woll for Light-hearted alternative for "very knowledgeable...
I think the term "wonk" would fit in this context.Wonk:a person preoccupied with arcane details or procedures in a specialized fieldbroadly : NERDIn your example, "I suggest you to consult the wonks in...
View ArticleAnswer by Jeff Zeitlin for Light-hearted alternative for "very knowledgeable...
It’s not uncommon to see the word “guru” used for this. While the ‘formal’ meaning of the word implies spiritualism (and principally in Indian [subcontinental] philosophies), using it informally for...
View ArticleAnswer by Prime Mover for Light-hearted alternative for "very knowledgeable...
A common informal but not too disrespectful term is "egg-head".If the person is young, you may be able to go with "whizz-kid".There is also the word "boffin" but that also has connotations of...
View ArticleLight-hearted alternative for "very knowledgeable person"?
Suppose I want to refer to a very knowleageable person in a light-hearted, informal, yet not direspectful manner. For example,This is a tricky question that requires insight and a historical background...
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