Overachiever

When the term “overachiever” is applied to people, it usually depicts a student of modest IQ who attains better grades than would be expected from him (usually) or her through hard, or obsessive, work.

But when the term is applied to a wine (first by Parker?), doesn’t it denote a very good wine that turned out better than would be expected from a property? So what is the low IQ in this analogy, the vineyard, season or the winemaker? Must be the winemaker, since terroir is what it is and Mother Nature doesn’t try.

Connotatively, an overachiever is someone you don’t want to be around. Dull kids who did well in school were still dull to play with. In the famous Joys Of Wine a spectacular growth emerged one year from a property that had produced nothing but plonk. It had a Twainian transformation on the people of a little hamlet in which the wine was produced. I believe the story was entitled, The Growth of Marie Louise, and compared the vintage to a local girl, for which everyone lusted. There is no general word for this phenomenon, though. Often when a little wine that I had tried before really surprises me, I think of Marie Louise, because I remember the story and I’m a romantic, I guess.

[Jenise]

I think there are a number of different meanings for the word. Not thinking about this too hard myself cuz it's 3 a.m. and I shouldn't be up anyway, but it seems to me that 'overachiever' is usually tied to cost, as if 'overachiever' is part of the larger phrase 'overachiever at its price' to denote a $15 wine that delivers what you'd expect of a wine two or three times its price, say. Especially in the case of Bordeaux which I know is your reference point for all things wine, In the instance you suggest, property/terroir, it seems the term 'underachiever' sounds more familiar to me. That is, it's rare that a poorly located or poorly managed property achieves greatness beyond its capability, but it's sometimes the case that a well-located property fails to perform at the level it has been known to produce in the past or at the level of other properties immediately surrounding it. Hence terms like "perennial underachiever".

I think that, often, the term "overachiever" is used to describe an appealing wine that doesn't sell for a lot, i.e. a QPR winner.

Mark Lipton

I think that an overchiever, as applied to wine, is when expectations are low based on past performance. If the winemaker's efforts to overcome the conditions of a troubled vintage turn out to be successful, we have an overachiever. I agree with Mark, that it usually turns out to be a QPR winner.

I think there are a number of different meanings for the word. Not thinking about this too hard myself cuz it's 3 a.m. and I shouldn't be up anyway, but it seems to me that 'overachiever' is usually tied to cost, as if 'overachiever' is part of the larger phrase 'overachiever at its price' to denote a $15 wine that delivers what you'd expect of a wine two or three times its price, say. Especially in the case of Bordeaux which I know is your reference point for all things wine, In the instance you suggest, property/terroir, it seems the term 'underachiever' sounds more familiar to me. That is, it's rare that a poorly located or poorly managed property achieves greatness beyond its capability, but it's sometimes the case that a well-located property fails to perform at the level it has been known to produce in the past or at the level of other properties immediately surrounding it. Hence terms like "perennial underachiever".

I think Mark is correct in calling the term a term rather than a word. There is apparently no such word, according to my library sized Webster. No 'underachiever', either. I also think it might have been a term used when I was a kid (and maybe not when you all were) for a dull bookworm. Therefore it can be used by younger people for a good wine for the price with no taint.

I wouldn't use the neologism 'spoofalated' (however it is spelled) because of its cliquishness; however the term "achieve" relates in my mind to manipulate, or discovering the wizard of nature to be merely the man behind the curtain.

I think Mark is correct in calling the term a term rather than a word. There is apparently no such word, according to my library sized Webster. No 'underachiever', either. I also think it might have been a term used when I was a kid (and maybe not when you all were) for a dull bookworm. Therefore it can be used by younger people for a good wine for the price with no taint.

I wouldn't use the neologism 'spoofalated' (however it is spelled) because of its cliquishness; however the term "achieve" relates in my mind to manipulate, or discovering the wizard of nature to be merely the man behind the curtain.

You are on the cusp in words as in so many things, Covert. The OED added the word as part of the Draft Revision in December 2007:

overachiever, n.

[< OVER- prefix + ACHIEVER n. Cf. OVERACHIEVE v., OVERACHIEVEMENT n.]

A person who achieves more than is expected or predicted; a person who is excessively dedicated to the achievement of success in any field.
1939 E. G. WILLIAMSON How to counsel Students xvii. 368 In many cases the counselor must conclude that the overachiever has developed unusually efficient work habits in order to achieve an intensely desired goal. 1953 Jrnl. Abnormal Psychol. 48 533/1 Ambitious students regularly achieve beyond their predicted ‘aptitude’ by dint of hard work; such ‘overachievers’ will not usually fail. 1973 Times 17 Nov. 12/2 Mr Kirstein turned out to be one of nature's over-achievers. He founded a great American school of ballet. 2000 Removals & Storage Feb. 57 (advt.) If you consider yourself an over-achiever and have experience in the international moving industry we'd like to hear from you.

[Jenise]

Appropos of almost nothing, I feel compelled to relate that once upon a time I rented a short-lived model in the Oldsmobile line called Achieva. I barely had it out of the lot when I renamed it Under-Achieva.

The OED added the word as part of the Draft Revision in December 2007:..2000 Removals & Storage Feb. 57 (advt.) If you consider yourself an over-achiever and have experience in the international moving industry we'd like to hear from you.

Bob, you are indeed a scholar. Yes, the word appeared also in the 1993 Addenda Section of A Supplement to Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, which I have but did not reference. My core dictionary is from the ‘60s.

The fact that a moving company places ads for overachievers lends some credence to my argument, not that all movers are dull: some are probably pretty rambunctious after a few beers.

The fact that a moving company places ads for overachievers lends some credence to my argument, not that all movers are dull: some are probably pretty rambunctious after a few beers.

It's interesting, Covert, that "underachiever" was recognized by OED in the 1989 Supplement well before overachiever. I thought the correlation between seat belts and underachievers was interesting. And, not the brilliance of the comment that it is hard for someone in the first percentile of intelligence to be an underachiever. Hmmmm ...

Psychol.

Someone whose actual performance consistently fails to reach the level predicted by intelligence tests or other measures of ability. Cf. OVER-ACHIEVER.

1953 Jrnl. Abnormal Psychol. XLVIII. 533/2 If his grades fell a full rank below prediction he was labelled an ‘underachiever’. 1962 ‘I. ROSS’ Old Students Never Die viii. 105 Nowadays we have a name for them: the kids with the high potential and the low grades. We call them ‘under-achievers’. 1968 D. LAWTON Social Class, Lang. & Educ. i. 6 For a number of reasons working-class children tend to be under-achievers. 1973 E.-J. BAHR Nice Neighbourhood v. 47, I identify with the underachievers of this world. 1975 Kingston (Ontario) Whig-Standard 6 Sept. 27/6 The survey also found that those not using seat belts also were under-achievers in school.

So under-a{sm}chievement; under-a{sm}chieve v. intr., under-a{sm}chieving ppl. a. and vbl. n.
1951 School Rev. LIX. 472 (title) Factors related to over-achievement and under-achievement in school. 1953 Underachieving vbl. n. [see OVERACHIEVING vbl. n.]. 1954 Jrnl. Educ. Psychol. Oct. 322 It is virtually impossible for a pupil at or near the..first percentile [on an intelligence test] to ‘under-achieve’. 1965 in M. Kornrich Underachievement 553 A role for the counselor may be to help the underachieving student. 1972 Guardian 21 July 12/5 Parents who want their children to go to a popular school may..encourage them to underachieve. 1982 Secondary Educ. Jrnl. XII. III. 1/2 Underachievement is not confined to pupils in secondary schools. Ibid., Many of these pupils are..not achieving their full potential{em}in other words they are underachieving.

Appropos of almost nothing, I feel compelled to relate that once upon a time I rented a short-lived model in the Oldsmobile line called Achieva. I barely had it out of the lot when I renamed it Under-Achieva.

Boy, Oldsmobile asked for that, Jenise. Well done!

Appropos of almost nothing, I feel compelled to relate that once upon a time I rented a short-lived model in the Oldsmobile line called Achieva. I barely had it out of the lot when I renamed it Under-Achieva.

How times change. My Dad brought home a brand new gold 1957 Super 88 with three duces and dual exhaust, It was really hot s--t. The looks, the smell. There's just nothing around anymore that can produce that kind of rush, unless you have a million or so to spend on it, I suppose.