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GUESSTIMATE
PRONUNCIATION: (GES-ti-mayt for verb; -muht for noun)
MEANING: verb tr.: To make an estimate based on guesswork.
noun: An estimate based on guesswork.
ETYMOLOGY: A blend of guess + estimate. Earliest documented use: 1936.
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GUESTIMATE - try to figure out how many are coming for dinner
GUESS TIME ATE - ...and how long it took to eat it
GUESSTIVATE - how long should my summer vacation be?
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CONTRAPTION
PRONUNCIATION: (kuhn-TRAP-shuhn)
MEANING: noun: A device that appears to be strange, makeshift, or complicated.
ETYMOLOGY: Perhaps a blend of contrive + trap + invention. Earliest documented use: 1825.
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CONTRA-PION - a new subatomic anti-particle
CON-TRAP-TIN - a thief could cut his way out of it with a pair of scissors (compare CON-TRAP-IRON)
CONTRAPATION - working against your employer
CONT.RATION - your meal will arrive on schedule
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ALLICIENTPRONUNCIATION: (uh-LISH-uhnt) MEANING: adjective: Having the power to attract; appealing. ETYMOLOGY: From Latin allicere (to entice). Earliest documented use: 1613. _______________________________ ALICIENT - WittyALLI®CLIENT - one who tries to lose weight by taking orlistat ALLICENT - her parents couldn't decide whether to name her after Grandma Allison or Grandma Millicent
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CERNUOUSPRONUNCIATION: (SUHR-noo/nyoo-uhs) MEANING: adjective: Drooping, nodding, or bending forward. ETYMOLOGY: From Latin cernuus (bowing). Earliest documented use: 1653. ___________________________ CZERNUOUS - pedantic, predictable, monotonous, and thorough CERNulous - like a microcosm of atomic physicists CORNUOUS - horny
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XANTHIC
PRONUNCIATION: (ZAN-thik)
MEANING: adjective: Yellow or yellowish.
ETYMOLOG: From Greek xanthos (yellow). Earliest documented use: 1817. Two related words are xanthodontous (having yellow teeth) and Xanthippe (a nagging woman).
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EXANTHIC - with a rash on the skin, like measles or chickenpox
PANTHIC - feline. (Better still, if called by a panthic, don't anthic)
XANTNIC - who comes down the chimney on December 25
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PREDACIOUS
PRONUNCIATION: pri-DAY-shuhs)
MEANING: adjective:
1. Preying on other animals.
2. Seeking to exploit others.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin praedari (to prey upon), from praeda (booty). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ghend-/ghed- (to seize or to take), which is also the source of pry, prey, spree, reprise, surprise, osprey, prison, impregnable, impresa, prise, and reprehend. Earliest documented use: 1665.
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PREDATIOUS - occurring before, especially before acknowledgments of debt
PREFACIOUS - tending to give lengthy and tedious introductory remarks
PRUDACIOUS - conspicuously prim and proper, not to say Victorian
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HORTATIVE
PRONUNCIATION: (HOHR-tuh-tiv)
MEANING: adjective: Strongly urging.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin hortari (to urge). Ultimately from the Indo-European root gher- (to like or want), which also gave us yearn, charisma, greedy, and exhort. Earliest documented use: 1623.
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ORTATIVE - piecemeal
SHORTATIVE - abbreviated
SORTATIVE - categorizing
HORATATIVE - defending bridges despite overwhelming odds
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AUBADE
PRONUNCIATION: (O-bahd)
MEANING: noun: Morning song, poem, or music.
ETYMOLOGY: From French aubade (dawn serenade), from Spanish albada (aubade), from Latin albus (white). Ultimately from the Indo-European root albho- (white), which is also the source of oaf, albino, album, albumen, elflock, and albedo. Earliest documented use: 1678.
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AMBADE - walking distance
AUBADUE - should have been done yesterday
ANUBADE - requested by Mr Garg
DAUBADE - paintings by a 3-year-old
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PROSOPOGRAPHY
PRONUNCIATION: (pros-uh-PAH-gruh-fee)
MEANING: noun: A study of people in a group, identifying patterns, connections, etc.: a collective biography.
ETYMOLOGY: From German Prosopographie, from Latin prosopographia, from Greek prosopon (face, mask), from pros- (facing) + ops (eye) + -graphy (writing). Earliest documented use: 1577.
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PROSTOPOGRAPHY - pictures of an unsuccessful fourth-and-goal run
PROSONOGRAPHY - in favor of ultrasound examinations
PROTO-PO-GRAPHY - the imaging of the river is in its infancy
PROSOAPOGRAPHY - we need a catalog of soap sculptures
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POSTICHE
PRONUNCIATION: (poh-STEESH)
MEANING: noun:
1. A hairpiece.
2. An imitation or sham.
ETYMOLOGY: From French postiche (hairpiece, fake), from Italian posticcio (counterfeit), from Latin appositus, past participle of apponere (to put near), from ponere (to put). Ultimately from the Indo-European root apo- (off or away), that also gave us after, off, awkward, post, puny, aphelion, apheresis, apograph, apopemptic, apophasis, and aposematic. Earliest documented use: 1854.
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POST-RICHE - a member of the bourgeoisie whose money is all gone
ÖSTICHE - Austrian citizen (female)
POSTICLE - frozen dessert fence-picket-on-a-stick
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SAFARI
PRONUNCIATION: (suh-FAHR-ee)
MEANING: noun: An expedition to observe (or, in the past, to hunt) wild animals in their natural habitat.
verb intr.: To go on such an expedition.
ETYMOLOGY: From Swahili safari (journey), from Arabic safari (of a journey), from safar (journey). Earliest documented use: 1859.
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SAFARUS - a solo expedition to observe wild animals in their natural habitat (fem. SAFARA)
SOFARI - an introductory phrase describing my immediate past
SAMARO - a mispronounced Chevy muscle car
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GOB
PRONUNCIATION: (gob)
MEANING: noun:
1. Lump or a large amount of something.
2. Mouth.
3. Sailor.
ETYMOLOGY: For 1: Probably from Middle French gobe/goube (mouthful, lump). Earliest documented use: 1382.
For 2: Probably from Irish and/or Scottish Gaelic gob (beak, mouth). Earliest documented use: 1568.
For 3: Probably from gobshite (a worthless person), from gob (lump) + shite (feces). Earliest documented use: 1910.
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OOB - v.t., to help a patient get Out Of Bed during a hospital stay
GSB - a dyslexic British playwright, author of Pymgalion and others
GOK - identified GOK's Disease, a common malady without a cure ("What's wrong with him? God Only Knows")
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SKELF
PRONUNCIATION: (skelf)
MEANING: noun:
1. A splinter.
2. A tiny amount of something.
3. A thin or slight person.
4. An annoying or troublesome person.
ETYMOLOGY: Probably from Middle Low German or obsolete Dutch schelf (flake, splinter, or scale). Earliest documented use: 1610.
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ASKELF - how to find your way to Santa's Workshop
'SKERF - what you call the blade's-width of sawdust lost by cutting wood
SKEEF - a small flat-bottomed open boat with a pointed bow and square stern, sailing under the Spanish flag
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SHINGLE
PRONUNCIATION: (SHING-guhl)
MEANING: noun: 1. A tile laid in overlapping rows to cover walls or roofs.
2. A small signboard indicating a professional office. Used in the phrase “to hang one’s shingle”.
3. A woman’s close-cropped haircut tapering from the back of the head to the nape.
4. Waterworn pebbles found on a beach.
5. A place where such pebbles are found.
verb tr.: 1. To cover with shingles or to lay out something in an overlapping manner.
2. To cut hair in a shingle.
3. To squeeze or hammer puddled iron to remove impurities.
ETYMOLOGY: For noun 1-3 & verb 1-2: From Latin scindula (a thin piece of wood). Earliest documented use: 1200.
For noun 4-5: Of uncertain origin. Earliest documented use: 1513.
For verb 3: From French cingler (to whip or beat), from German zängeln, from Zange (tongs). Earliest documented use: 1674.
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SHINOLE - a brand of brown shoe polish
SPHINGLE - the Sphinx's daughter
SHIGGLE - combination of shimmy and wiggle, close to a modern-day twerk
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PLENUM
PRONUNCIATION: (PLEE-nuhm, PLEN-uhm)
MEANING: noun:
1. An assembly in which all members are present.
2. A space in which air or another gas is at pressure greater than the atmospheric pressure.
3. A space filled with matter, as contrasted with vacuum.
4. A space, above the ceiling or below the floor, that serves as a receiving chamber for heated or cooled air.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin plenus (full). Earliest documented use: 1674.
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UP-LE-NUM - French for "Long Live What's-his-Name!"
PELENUM - soccer star couldn't feel anything on his forehead after so many years of trauma there
PHENUM - charges for services
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REDE
PRONUNCIATION: (reed)
MEANING: verb tr.: 1. To advise.
2. To interpret or explain.
noun: 1. Advice.
2. An account or a narration.
ETYMOLOGY: From Old English rǣdan (read). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ar- (to fit together), which also gave us army, harmony, article, order, read, adorn, arithmetic, rhyme, and ratiocinate. Earliest documented use: before 450.
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REDER - someone who peruses only abridged books
RENE - jargon for a kidney
RE-BE - undergo reincarnation
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MYCOLOGY
PRONUNCIATION: (my-KOL-uh-jee)
MEANING: noun: The study of fungi.
ETYMOLOGY: From Greek myco- (mushroom, fungus) + -logy (study). Earliest documented use: 1836.
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MYOLOGY - the study of muscles
MY COLOGN - my vial of scent is not quite full
MYCRO-LOGY - Sherlock's brother is sluggish today
MYCOLONY? - Why, I come from Massachusetts, thank you for asking
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AILUROPHILE
PRONUNCIATION: (eye/ay-LOOR-uh-fyl)
MEANING: noun: One who loves cats.
ETYMOLOGY: From Greek ailuro- (cat) + -phile (lover). Earliest documented use: 1914.
NOTES:
-- There have been some serious ailurophiles over the years. Examples: Ben Rea of UK who left $13 million to his black cat Blackie or Maria Assunta of Italy who also left $13 million to her black cat Tommaso.
-- If there are any black cats reading this, I recommend they use Google to find their nearest aging ailurophile millionaire having a net worth of $13 million. Or they could just start a YouTube channel.
--The opposite of an ailurophile is ailurophobe.
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A FLUROPHILE - my dentist (he sees so many fewer cavities since fluoride)
'AIKU-ROPHILE
in Cockney accent
A short Japanese poem
I love to listen
AILEROPHILE - those trim tabs make my plane fly so much more smoothly
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OROGENY - making mountains
PRONUNCIATION: (o-RAH-juh-nee)
MEANING: noun: Folding and faulting of the earth’s crust resulting in mountain formation.
ETYMOLOGY: From Greek oro- (mountain) + -geny (formation). Earliest documented use: 1890.
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OTOGENE - the DNA determinant of ear shape
FROGENY - tadpoles
OWOGE, NY a dyslexic town in Tioga County, on the Susquehanna River, about 17 miles west of Binghamaton
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EPIGEAL
PRONUNCIATION: (ep-i-JEE-uhl)
MEANING: adjective: Living close to the ground, as certain plants.
ETYMOLOGY: From Greek epi- (upon) + -geal (relating to earth), from ge (earth). Earliest documented use: 1861.
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A-PIG-EAL - no ham, no bacon. Boaring.
E-PAGEAL - Amazon Kindular
EPI-GOAL - everyone should be able to afford to carry emergency anaphylaxis therapy
Last edited by wofahulicodoc; 02/07/2019 10:06 PM.
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NIDIFUGOUS
PRONUNCIATION: (ny-DIF-yuh-guhs)
MEANING: adjective: Well-developed and able to leave the nest soon after hatching.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin nidi- (nest) + -fugous (fleeing). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sed- (to sit), which is also the source of nest, sit, chair, saddle, assess, sediment, soot, cathedral, and tetrahedron. Earliest documented use: 1902.
NOTES: The opposite of nidifugous is nidicolous (remaining with parents for a long time after birth). Etymologically speaking, these words apply to birds, but there’s no reason you can’t use them elsewhere. For example, if your adult child suggests living in your basement, you could simply say, “Don’t be nidicolous!”
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NIDIFUNGOUS - the nest is covered with mold
MIDIFUGOUS - the ecdysiast has a short skirt that flies off easily
Ni-di-F-U-GOUS - made with nickel, two atoms of fluorine, and uranium
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BLOODNOUN
PRONUNCIATION: (BLUHD-naun)
MEANING: noun: A bullfrog -- a heavy-bodied frog having a deep resonant croak. Also known as bloody noun.
ETYMOLOGY: Of imitative origin. Earliest documented use: 1910.
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BROODNOUN - a swarm of bullfrog tadpoles
BLOODNOUS - our French relatives
BLOODNOON - when a solar eclipse occurs precisely at midday and everything looks reddish just prior to totality
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SODALIST
PRONUNCIATION: (SO-duh-list)
MEANING: noun: A member of a sodality (a fellowship or association).
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin sodalitas (fellowship), from sodalis (companion). Earliest documented use: 1794.
NOTE: A sodalist is not a list of Coke, Pepsi, and other carbonated beverages.
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SODALAST - Mama's Rule, so you won't spoil your appetite for dinner
ODALIST - a poet of limited repertoire
ŠKODALIST - available models and prices of a Czech automobile
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REPROBATE
PRONUNCIATION: (REP-ruh-bayt)
MEANING: adjective: Depraved.
noun: A wicked person.
verb tr.: To disapprove or condemn.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin reprobare (to disapprove), from re- + probare (to test, approve), from probus (good). Ultimately from the Indo-European root per- (forward), which also gave us paramount, prime, proton, prow, probative, probity, reproof, reprove, German Frau (woman), and Hindi purana (old). Earliest documented use: 1532.
NOTE: Remember, to reprobate does not mean to probate again.
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REPRONATE - turn your hand palm down, again
REPROGATE - political scandal at the Artificial Insemination center
REPROTATE - the art gallery sells prints of the collection in its gift shop
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APPURTENANCE
PRONUNCIATION: (uh-PUHRT-uh-nuns)
MEANING: noun:
1. An accessory, equipment, gear, etc. associated with an activity or style of living.
2. A subordinate part.
3. In law, rights belonging to a principal property (for example, the right of way).
ETYMOLOGY: From Anglo-Norman apurtenance, from Latin appertinere (to appertain), from ad- (near) + pertinere (to belong), from per- (through) + tenere (to hold). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ten- (to stretch), which also gave us tense, tenet, tendon, tent, tenor, tender, pretend, extend, tenure, tetanus, hypotenuse, pertinacious, detente, countenance, distend, extenuate, and tenable. Earliest documented use: 1377.
NOTE: Appurtenance is not the opposite of purtenance, which means entrails of an animal.
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APPURTENANCY - just rented the apartment to Mr Appur
APP-URGENANCE - high pressure techniques to induce you to make purchases from your smartphone
AP: PURETEN ANTE - News flash: it'll cost you $10 to play at this poker table, and the bill has to be clean and unsullied
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APPOSE
PRONUNCIATION:
(uh-POHZ)
MEANING:
verb tr.: To place next to or side by side: to juxtapose.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin apponere (to put near), from ad- (near) + ponere (to put). Ultimately from the Indo-European root apo- (off or away), which is also the source of after, off, awkward, post, and puny. Earliest documented use: 1593.
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AP POST - dispatch from the news agency
ATP-OSE - sugar with a high-energy phosphate bond
AM POSE - pretending to be irritable until you've had enough coffee
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OKPRONUNCIATION; (o-KAY, O-kay) MEANING:adjective: 1. Satisfactory; not very good or very bad. 2. Correct. 3. Mediocre. 4. In good health. noun: Approval or permission. verb: To authorize or approve. adverb: In a satisfactory manner. interjection: Used to express acknowledgment or agreement. ETYMOLOGY: In the 1830s, in Boston, there was a fad of making abbreviations; also of using jocular misspellings. So “all correct” became of “oll korrect” which became abbreviated to OK. The word would have ended as a fad, but along came US President Martin Van Buren (1782-1862). During his re-election campaign of 1840, his supporters adopted the word OK as a nickname for him (short for Old Kinderhook; he was born in Kinderhook, New York) and the word has lived on ever since, not only in the English language, but most of the languages around the world. Earliest documented use: 1839. NOTES: It’s OK. It’s an all-American word. And like many things made in America, it’s used everywhere. Not bad for a two-letter word. It can work as an adjective, noun, verb, adverb, interjection, and probably anything else that your imagination can conjure. It’s not often that a whole book is written about a single word. Check out OK: the Improbable Story Of America’s Greatest Word. ____________________________________ OCK - what a Cockney goes into when he's short of cash AK - half of an anti-aircraft barrage OKA - a goose, whose eggs were made into a musical instrument when dried out and emptied and perforated just so... thousands of years ago.
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SOCKDOLAGER
PRONUNCIATION: (sok-DOL-uh-juhr)
MEANING: noun:
1. A decisive blow or remark.
2. Something exceptional or outstanding.
ETYMOLOGY: Of unknown origin, apparently from sock. Earliest documented use: 1830.
NOTES: The word sockdolager has an unusual claim to fame in US history. It turned out to be the cue on which John Wilkes Booth fired his shot at the 16th US President, Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), in Ford’s Theater. Lincoln was watching the play Our American Cousin and Booth, an actor himself and aware of the dialog, knew the line that brought the loudest burst of laughter from the audience was:
“Well, I guess I know enough to turn you inside out, you sockdologising old man-trap.”
Booth fired his gun at that precise moment to muffle the loud noise of his shot with the guffaws from the audience.
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SOCKO LAGER - the beer is outstanding
SOCK DOWAGER - the old lady is about to get beat up
SOCK DOLL AGER - the hand puppet is starting to look decrepit
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TEDDY BEAR
PRONUNCIATION: (TED-ee bear)
MEANING: noun:
1. A stuffed toy in the shape of a bear.
2. Something or someone (especially a large or hairy person) who resembles a teddy bear in appearance or being endearing.
ETYMOLOGY: After US President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt (1858-1919). Earliest documented use: 1906.
NOTES: The story goes that, on a hunting trip, Teddy Roosevelt wasn’t able to find an animal to kill. So his people found a black bear and tied the poor animal to a tree inviting Teddy to shoot. Teddy refused (but instead ordered his people to kill the bear to put him out of his misery). Inspired by this a toymaker created a stuffed bear and called it Teddy’s bear. It sold!
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TODDY BEAR - my stuffed animal likes a drink (unlike his brother, TE DRY BEAR, who doesn't)
STEDDY BEAR - a teenager's Transition Object, most appreciated when there's no visible prospect of a boyfriend
TEDDY WEAR - pajamas with TR's likeness on them
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WATERGATE
PRONUNCIATION: (WOH-tuhr-gayt)
MEANING: noun: A scandal involving abuse of office, deceit, and cover-up.
ETYMOLOGY: After the Watergate office and residential complex in Washington, DC. It was the site of a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in 1972 by people associated with US President Richard Nixon (1913-1994). The resulting scandal and cover-up led to Nixon’s resignation. Earliest documented use: 1972.
NOTES: Watergate, a scandal of mammoth proportions, has given us a useful suffix (-gate) for describing many a scandal including gategate.
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WAFERGATE - the current Vatican sex-abuse scandal
OATERGATE - Gene Autry couldn't sing; Rudolph was really lip-synched to a Frank Luther recording
WATERGAZE - Ahab looking for the White Whale
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WATERGATE
PRONUNCIATION; (WOH-tuhr-gayt)
MEANING: noun: A scandal involving abuse of office, deceit, and cover-up.
ETYMOLOGY: After the Watergate office and residential complex in Washington, DC. It was the site of a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in 1972 by people associated with US President Richard Nixon (1913-1994). The resulting scandal and cover-up led to Nixon’s resignation. Earliest documented use: 1972.
NOTES: Watergate, a scandal of mammoth proportions, has given us a useful suffix (-gate) for describing many a scandal including gategate.
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WAFERGATE - the present sex-abuse scandal among Catholic clergy
WATERGAZE - Ahab looking for the White Whale
OATERGATE - Flash! Gene Autry couldn't sing! Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was really lip-synched to a Frank Luther recording!
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THROTTLEBOTTOM
PRONUNCIATION: (THROT-l-bot-uhm)
MEANING: noun: A purposeless incompetent in public office.
ETYMOLOGY: After Alexander Throttlebottom, a Vice Presidential character in Of Thee I Sing, a 1931 musical comedy. Earliest documented use: 1932.
NOTES: In honor of Presidents Day, this week we’ve been looking at words with presidential connections. It’s about time we paid our dues to Vice Presidents, too. VPs, by their very nature, are meant to play second fiddle though it’s not uncommon to find an eminence grise in that office. Here’s how the term throttlebottom came to represent VPs and other similar (mostly) harmless figures.
The first musical comedy to win the Pulitzer Prize, Of Thee I Sing, is a brilliant political satire that gave us today’s word. In this masterly operetta (music: George Gershwin; lyrics: Ira Gershwin; libretto: George Kaufman and Morris Ryskind), presidential candidate John P. Wintergreen runs a political campaign based on the theme of love. His National Party sponsors a beauty contest, with Wintergreen to marry the winner. Instead, Wintergreen falls in love with Mary Turner, a secretary at the pageant, and marries her on the day of his inauguration. Diana Devereaux, the contest winner, sues President Wintergreen for breach of contract; France threatens to go to war, since Devereaux is of French descent; and Congress impeaches him. Wintergreen points out the United States Constitution provision that when the President is unable to perform his duty, the Vice President fulfills the obligations. VP Throttlebottom agrees to marry Diana and forever etches his name in the language.
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THROTTLEBOY TOM - Master Brady controls the tempo of the attack
THROATTLEBOTTOM - what happens to your voice just before complete laryngitis sets in
TH' RATTLE BOTTOM - a couple of leftover beans
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...power has ben restored, thank goodness, and with it, heat.
Time to catch up.
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CATCHALL
PRONUNCIATION: (KACH-al)
MEANING: noun:
1. A bag or another receptacle for holding odds and ends.
2. Something that covers a wide variety of situations.
ETYMOLOGY: From Old Northern French cachier (to chase), from Latin capitare (to try to catch), frequentative of capere (to take) + Old English eall (all). Earliest documented use: 1838.
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CATSHALL - 1. an example of oxymoron; 2. feline dormitory
CATCHILL - get sick
EATCHALL - supper's ready in Savannah GA, come and get it
MATCHALL - I'll see everybody's raise
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PINCHPENNY
PRONUNCIATION: (PINCH-pen-ee)
MEANING: adjective: Unwilling to spend or give money.
noun: A miserly person.
ETYMOLOGY: From pinch, from Old French pincier (to pinch) + penny (the smallest denomination of currency). Earliest documented use: 1425.
NOTES: The word penny-pincher is a synonym of pinchpenny, but you have to admit, it doesn’t have quite the same zing as the tosspot word. Another synonym of today’s word is pinchgut, but catchpenny is something entirely different.
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PINCHPEONY - what you do when you want the plant to branch
PITCHPENNY - an urban child's game
INCHPENNY - the unit used to measure how much currency is moved how far
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SCRAPEGUT
PRONUNCIATION: (SKRAYP-guht)
MEANING: noun: A fiddler.
ETYMOLOGY: Traditionally, violin strings were made of catgut, which is gut or intestines of sheep or goat (not cats). The word scrapegut is a jocular or contemptuous reference to a violinist, as if scraping the strings. Earliest documented use: 1837.
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SCRAPEOUT - what you do to an almost-empty peanut-butter jar
SERAPEGUT - a colorful blanket to cover your beer-belly
SCRAPEGUM - how to clean a dirty shoe sole
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RAKEHELL
PRONUNCIATION: (RAYK-hel)
MEANING: noun: A licentious or immoral person.
ETYMOLOGY: By folk etymology from Middle English rakel (rash, hasty). Earliest documented use: 1547.
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DRAKEHELL - where Donald Duck ultimately pays the price for being such a pest
RAKEHULL - clear off the barnacles
RAKEHEEL - occupational disease of seed-sowers
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DO-ALL
PRONUNCIATION: (DOO-ahl)
MEANING: noun: A person who does all kinds of work in a job.
ETYMOLOGY: From do, from Old English don (to do) + all, from Old English eall (all). Earliest documented use: 1631.
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DO MALL - spend an afternoon at the shopping center
D.O. WALL - Osteopathy diplomas display
DOZ-ALL - that new OTC sleeping med that's so popular these days
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MONDEGREEN
PRONUNCIATION: (MON-di-green)
MEANING: noun: A word or phrase resulting from mishearing a word or phrase, especially in song lyrics. Example: The girl with colitis goes by” for “The girl with kaleidoscope eyes” (in the Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”).
ETYMOLOGY: Coined by author Sylvia Wright when she misinterpreted the line “laid him on the green” as “Lady Mondegreen” in the Scottish ballad “The Bonnie Earl O’ Moray”. Earliest documented use: 1954.
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ONDE GREEN ("Green Waves") - subtitle of La Mer, by Claude Debussy
MON DEGREE - what I earned at the Sorbonne
MONDE GREEK - fraternity life
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RESISTENTIALISM
PRONUNCIATION: (ri-zis-TEN-shul-iz-um)
MEANING: noun: The theory that inanimate objects demonstrate hostile behavior toward us.
ETYMOLOGY: Coined by humorist Paul Jennings as a blend of the Latin res (thing) + French resister (to resist) + existentialism (a kind of philosophy). Earliest documented use: 1948.
NOTES: If you ever get a feeling that the photocopy machine can sense when you’re tense, short of time, need a document copied before an important meeting, and right then it decides to take a break, you’re not alone. Now you know the word for it.
As if to prove the point, my normally robust DSL Internet connection went bust for two hours just as I was writing this. I’m not making this up.
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RESISTENTICALISM - the philosophy of struggling against octopus arms
PRE-SISTENTIALISM - an offshoot of Catholicism that rose prior to the election of Pope Sixtus
RESIST-ANTI-ALISM - opposition to those who reject the priorities of environmental activist / presidential-aspirant Gore
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SPOONERISM[see alse MARROWSKY, here] PRONUNCIATION: (SPOO-nuh-riz-em) MEANING: noun: The transposition of (usually) the initial sounds of words, typically producing a humorous result. Examples: “It is now kisstomary to cuss the bride.” (Spooner while officiating at a wedding) “Is the bean dizzy?” (Spooner questioning the secretary of his dean) ETYMOLOGY: After William Archibald Spooner (1844-1930), clergyman and educator, who was prone to this. Earliest documented use: 1900. ________________________ SPOONFERISM - being born poor, with an iron spoon in your mouth SPOONERIM - more than one spooner (compare cherub, seraph) SKOONERISM - the belief that sailing vessels will ultimately dominate the seas
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