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stranger
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stranger
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Howdy! I'm new. I love old English words and I'm really excited that I found this forum. I had a blog about words, but it's temporarily closed.
Okay, this might sound a little odd. I was (am) quite upset about the word ginormous being added to M-W. I had a dream that David Bowie, when asked for a better addition, said the word "zebrose." I then defined it as "having the qualities of a zebra."
So, that was the word I coined.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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ginormous
Am I the only person who thinks this should be spelled gianormous? Suppose so.
Welcome to the board.
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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Carpal Tunnel
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ginormous
Am I the only person who thinks this should be spelled gianormous? well, why? (Etymology: gigantic + enormous - M-W) - joe (not one to let things lie) friday edit: Merriam-Webster explains itself.
Last edited by tsuwm; 07/23/07 06:42 PM.
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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lisa: As a former prescriptivist I would have felt much the same way. I also used to collect neologisms but when I found they proliferated faster than I could record them, I quit. I am dalehileman@verizon.net
dalehileman
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I like zebroic.
welcome to the Board, elisabeth!
formerly known as etaoin...
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Carpal Tunnel
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daleh, I think the trick to collecting neologisms (if one must) is to limit oneself somewhat in the manner of the dictionary wallahs.
to wit, ginormous gathers 242 hits at Google[Books] and 362 at Google[News], fairly significant numbers.
-tsu wwftd (I've got some neologisms lined up for next week) master
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Carpal Tunnel
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well, why?
gia- as in giant and -normous as in enormous. I guess (therefore) I am.
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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Am I the only personEvidently not, but mine is a minority view. gianormous 22.3K ghits ginormous 1.22M ghits
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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Am I the only personEvidently not, but mine is a minority view. gianormous 22.3K ghits ginormous 1.22M ghits perhaps one day it will rate a var. Google[Books] - 7 Google[News] - 2
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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tsu: I agree and often have wondered how dictionary makers decide when a word is ripe. I used this arbitrary rule in compiling my collection: I would reject it if it got fewer than 263 Ghits
dalehileman
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