From AWADmail Issue 423:
rejected by the OED

Sad, no? Would there, among all those words you never missed, be the one you've always looked for ?

I like the 'polkadodge'. Happened many times - now I have
a non-word for the action.

I always called it the sidewalk shuffle.

It happened once in UK. I was going to the Right, and so was the
other person (to their left), presumably because of the ways
in which we drive on the street: USA - right side; UK - left.
Back and forth we went: four times if I remember correctly.
Have never forgotten it: definitely a sidewalk shuffle.

There was a comedian (on HBO in their early years) who invited people to send in words like this, and he'd read a few every week. I still use some of them, because they're useful. "Furbling" is the act of walking all the way through the temporary cordons even when nobody else is in line in front of you. A "spork" is that plastic utensil shaped like a spoon, but having the anterior edge toothed - what else would one call it? "Carpetpetuation" is the act of running the vacuum over some debris a few times unsuccessfully, picking up the target item, examining it, and throwing it back on the floor to try again.

In the linked list, "spatulate" is an actual word given a new meaning. I think it's the only example of that on the list.

"spatulate" is an actual word It IS! Good eye!

>what else would one call it?

well, I called it a sfork before I knew there was already another term. in fact, I still call it a sfork!

Never called it anything. Most of the time there is a smile and a smile and move on. We have no word for it. Soit.

I call them "foons", just to be different.

Reminds me of Douglas Adams Meaning of Liff - see Corriemuchloch et al

sfork is good, and so is foon. I lack that kind of imagination!

we are pretty much in a state of constant spoonerisms around here....