Wordsmith.org
There's a few words I'd like to coin into the English Language... Sure, I've made them up, but HEY-
Someone has to make words up, right?

If you'd like to respond and possibly give new meanings (Those not listed here), PLEASE be my guest! In the meantime, Please encourage their use!


Spinsterriffic- Any exciting activity that involves a middle-aged single woman and at least 3 cats.

USAGE- "Wow, Aunt Gertie- You've taught Fluffy to bring in the Mail, Bubbles to sort out the junk mail, and Shnitzel to go through, look for the Social Security Check, and to deposit it at the bank for you! That's SPINSTERRIFFIC!!!!"


Froufrouproof- The decorating efforts of a dominant Male.

USAGE- "By hand-painting wrenches and socket sets on the walls of the garage and filling any space that could be used by his wife or daughter to support a vase of flowers, Tim has made his entire work station FROUFROUPROOF."


Beeping- The responsive use of the vulgar vernacular in public arenas, television broadcasts, or kindergartens.

USAGE- "You know I love you, but I've brought you onto the Jerry Springer Show to tell you that I've (Fill in your favorite greek tragedy here)." "You BEEPING (Fill in your favorite insult here)!!!!"


Greeking- The process of engaging in scandalous behaviour, reminiscent of greek tragedy.

USAGE- "All of the guests on the last episode of Jerry Springer were GREEKING all over the place."

Got others? I'd love to read 'em!

Never Trust a Naked Bus Driver
I coined a word once as a title for a poem I'd written; "confusement", later to be defined as "the stage one reaches where even confusion is uncertain". I have actually got people to use this, although (just to prove it's a proper word...) it is usually used wrongly. The problem is that it becomes the same as confusion in most other forms, eg, confused not confusemented.

Rach.

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AOL IM: RachelEDugdale
Oh, and I can't believe I forgot to mention the most incredibly useful word which one of my London friends created, which is "chiz". Meant to be used as a term indicating mild irritation/indignation. I tend to make it stronger than it should be, though. This one is getting to be quite widespread, at least amongst people we know.

Rach.

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AOL IM: RachelEDugdale
Posted By: Rubrick Re: Not to be found by Mr. Webster... YET... - 05/24/00 01:37 PM
> Oh, and I can't believe I forgot to mention the most incredibly useful word which one of my London friends created, which
is "chiz". Meant to be used as a term indicating mild irritation/indignation. I tend to make it stronger than it should be,
though. This one is getting to be quite widespread, at least amongst people we know.

As in 'I'm particuarly chizzed-off today'? ;^)

Haven't actually heard it used that way yet, but yes, that would work. :-)

Rach.

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AOL IM: RachelEDugdale
I coined a word at school with my friends once. STARVATIONAL -- meant to be used when you are really hungry but there's still at least half an hour before you're allowed to eat. (used by me and my friends before lunch time)

Can't reach me here? E-mail me duskydreamer@icqmail.com or ICQ me 71367484.
"Starvational" leads to a contraction used widely when I was an undergraduate, but of which I have not since heard. The form is "squeet" which is an highly-economincal form of four words: let us go eat."

Posted By: --dave Re: Not to be found by Mr. Webster... YET... - 10/15/00 07:28 PM
"Jeat?" (Did you eat yet?)

"No, joo?" (No, not yet; did you?)


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coined by my son Lucas, at about age three:

That would be a DISASTROPHE!

--dave

disastrophe

I love it. Give Lucas three stars!!

Posted By: of troy Re: Not to be found by Mr. Webster... YET... - 10/18/00 02:04 PM
one that is on is way to being obsolete in NY, NY-- used to describe drunk/druggy homeless men, who reaked and where disoriented

Paranouseous (Paranoid and Nauseous)

Posted By: NicholasW Re: chiz - 12/20/00 11:34 AM
Your friend didn't create "chiz" unless they're a very old friend. It came to prominence in the Molesworth books of Willans and Searle in the 1950s. Molesworth uses it as a sentence-final particle indicating "drat, curses", as in (I'm making this up, not quoting):
The master hav confiscated my conker chiz.

In extreme circumstances it may be doubled or tripled, as in (again made up, but gives the flavour):
All the new bugs dance around me saing go on molesworth you will enjoy it if you try and eventually i find myself joining in chiz chiz chiz.

On its first occurrence it is footnoted as
A chiz is a swiz or swindle as any fule kno.

Or if you're not quite starvational yet, you're snackish.

Along the same vein, if not yet exhaustipated, you're nappish.

"My wife and I are heading off to the Carribean."

"Jamaica?"

"No, she wants to go."

Coined by a friend ...

hijinkery

used in much the same way as hijinx, but sounds so much classier.

Posted By: Ganvira Re: Not to be found by Mr. Webster... YET... - 01/21/01 12:03 PM
So would that be used as in "I don't tolerate such hijinkery?"


Recently, I came up with "stoptional," a word for the driver who believes a stop sign indicates a possible need to stop, with the option of proceeding if there are no pedestrians or other cars present.

You can get a ticket for driving stoptionally.

Posted By: wwh Re: Not to be found by Mr. Webster... YET... - 03/26/01 11:49 PM

Dear Molly-Dodd. I once got such a ticket. Do you have an encore for us? wwh

Hello, Molly-Dodd. I like "stoptional." Except, all too often, I see it taken as "a stop is not necessary if to do so means you would have to wait for oncoming traffic, but going NOW will let you peel out in front of the oncoming cars, avoiding collision only because they brake."

We need a similar term for the hypothetical color of a traffic light which has already turned red, but not long enough that the opposing traffic is already in the intersection, which means that The Most Important Person On The Road should proceed through the red, since saving a minute or two is worth the risk to the property, health and lives of others. Is there an ugly enough color word for this?

an ugly enough color word

How about puce, with a Latinate hard c?

Posted By: of troy "stoptional," - 03/27/01 07:37 PM
In a traffic class for repeat violators -- the instructor repeated made the point that a stop sign meant a full stop, and not just sever slowdown..
they followed up by asking someone in the class to describe the difference between a "rolling stop" (stoptional) and full stop.

the student/violator replied-- "$50 and 3 points."

NYC does not permit "Right Turns On Red"--(after coming to a complete stop)-- but in my experience many drivers have forgot that unspoken phrase.. and think if they are turning rght.

Posted By: Molly-Dodd Re: "stoptional," - 03/29/01 01:27 AM
Thank you all for the warm welcome!

Your responses are a clear illustration of how defining a word is a subjective task. Have you seen the current issue of Harper's? D.F. Wallace talks about this.*

Like a true work of art, I am proud that the word I coined (surely someone else has said this before, yet it was an original thought) has taken a life of its own and that people are choosing to define it as they see fit.

*I haven't finished the article. Perhaps tonight?

Another driving word--this one from my friend Brian: "nagivator" - a person who sits in the passenger seat of a car and tells the driver how to drive; (back seat driver)

Posted By: of troy Re: Not to be found by Mr. Webster... YET... - 03/29/01 06:51 PM
I dunno, i like navigators-- but i don't like back seat drivers. one is responible for watch for detour sign, or exits, or looking for street numbers... the other is critical (go faster, go slower, WATCH OUT!) -- all sorts of negative stuff.

and navigator and nagivator are too close...

Posted By: satin Re: "stoptional," - 05/03/01 08:35 PM
Welcome Molly Dodd,

I love stoptional too! How about beautumous - beautiful/fabulous.

Posted By: Sparteye Re: "stoptional," - 05/04/01 11:41 AM
Haha, Satin! "Beautimous" is a part of the lexicon in my home. Before we go out, I excuse myself to (try to) make myself beautimous. In what context do you use "beautumous?"

My Dad used nagivator to describe my Mom sitting in the passenger seat, whether or not she was giving directions. It's become a sort of sly but endearing insult in our family.

And beautimous is the superlative form of beautiful, of course. It's the shortened and Anglicized form of the Latin expression "beautimus maximus," which is still heard occasionally in our household to express supreme and unequalled beauty. E.g., "Crystal, the pretty girl cat, is beautimus maximus after her bath!"

Posted By: satin Re: beautimous nagivators:usage and derivation - 05/04/01 02:01 PM
When looking at spring flowers that take your breath away, like a grove of sweet smelling lilacs - That's beautimous!

Being involved in many Antique Automobile groups and attending many tours in same, I am always the navigator. My spouse needs both hands and sometimes both feet to operate said machinery and cannot include map/directions reading to the responsibilities. I don't mind the term at all.

NAGIVATOR IS AN excellent word MollyDodd. I will surely use it tomorrow on my husband who will be such a nagivator when he rides with me as I drive.

chronist
Posted By: AnnaStrophic Re: Harper's - 05/20/01 01:41 PM
Molly asks: Have you seen the current issue of Harper's? D.F. Wallace talks about this.

Yep, there's a whiole thread "above the fold" about his article. (Gee, I should take my own advice and venture below screen more often! ) I even sent a copy of it to a poor fellow AWADer who doesn't have Harper's available at his local newsstand. hi, mav!

Posted By: consuelo Re:name that color - 09/16/01 07:17 PM
I used to live with a person that ALWAYS sped up for yellow lights. You could tell it was him by the scream heard as we passed through "You just ran ANOTHER orange light!" I was the Nagivator but at least I was only complaining about the things he did that could get me killed. If I had the courage to take the wheel while he was the Nagivator, it would be all I could do not to screech to a halt by the side of the road, get out of the car and throw out my thumb. Whew! Glad that's over!

Here's one I came up with...

Respection: Having permission to cross the street without the help of an adult. (I coined this term when I was 4 years old, so if the part of speech seems counterintuitive, please excuse me.) Useage: "A six-year-old child should never have respection."

Posted By: of troy Re: Not to be found by Mr. Webster... YET... - 12/05/01 06:17 PM
interesting word.. but i have a total different philosophy! my son was crossing a major street (yes, there was a crossing guard) in kindergarten.. i felt, living in NYC, where knowing how to cross a street is such an important part of your life, that he should learn how to do. it was rare that he actualy had to do it.. but the crossing guard did get sick every once is a while.. and he was on his own..

When my children were 7 and 4, their father would always pick them up from school. One day he couldn't find them at the school or at home. He went back to the school to look for them again. Not long after, both my little angels burst through the door, smiling from ear to ear and saying "Mamita, we found our way home all by ourselves!" How could I be mad? I knew they had crossed one of the busiest streets in Ciudad Juarez and I also knew that I needed to prepare them for their father's wrath without taking away from their sense of accomplishment. I told them how proud of them I was and their Papá would be, too, once he calmed down, so it would be best if they just smiled a lot and let me do the talking. It worked.

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