I may have coined a word or two, probably inadvertently, but I notice that children often use words that adults would not think of--I used to tell my kids(with some emotion) that there was no such word as "tump"--apparently meaning "turn over and dump out". They used the word anyway and were delighted to find it in a novel-I think it was "On the Beach". More kidspeak (besides blanky, wa-wa, etc.)?

http://home.mn.rr.com/wwftd/rst.htm#tump

http://www.bartleby.com/61/91/T0409170.html

Thanks, tsuwm and jheem--Not only were my offspring, when
in grade school, right about "tump" and I was wrong,
but they were more southern than their south Florida native mama!
A few years later they were using a politically incorrect adjective--reflicted. I understood that one but don't think it earned any points in English class.

reflicted...??

I loved hearing this evidence that their little brains are trying to work things out. I haven't noticed they have created any neologisms recently, but they're both over ten now. A few years back, though, it seemed they were always contriving words to describe unfamiliar situations.

k

Sadly, Jackie, a combination of "retarded" and "afflicted".
Used scathingly of friends and family who were neither.

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reflicted...??

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ditto

Whazzit mean?

Gription = Friction created by hand.

Gription = Friction created by hand.


Presumably the hand of an adolescent male?

My parents are retired English professors, as a result, I was raised by the entire English department at the University of South Dakota. My parents and their collogues swear that I came up with the term "Academia Nuts" when I was six years old. I think it extremely unlikely that I was the first to think of this paronomasia; however I know I didn't hear it from anyone else, so I'll take credit for it at USD, but not elsewhere.

Z-Dub

And I'll take credit for having come up with the term at a slightly later age in Atlanta. Independent discovery, I daresay.

Meanwhile, have any of you ever heard this question: "Do you want to take your lunch or ride the bus?"? I thought my mom (a retired English teacher) came up with that one frazzled morning while trying to get us all off to school, but my husband recently said he'd heard it, too...

That's why I prefer the pronunciation <a-kuh-day-me-uh> rather than <a-kuh-dee-me-uh>.

Don't forget that you pecan this. I walnut take any blame for continuing what you started, even if it makes those allergic to puns say, "cashew" over and over again (though of course that could just be the atmosphere.) The hazel get you in some parts of the country, almond friends agree on that. I pine for more clear weather, though I will peanut alarmed if the air isn't of the highest quality.

TEd, your pistachioed and bearded correspondent

PS

My God, I think I've been hexed.

somebody restrain him, please....

University of South Dakota

in Vermillion?

at Hoople?

hey Iphigenia, you from Brooklyn?

In reply to:

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in Vermillion?

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Yes indeed.

In reply to:

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Don't forget that you pecan this. I walnut take any blame for continuing what you started, even if it makes those allergic to puns say, "cashew" over and over again (though of course that could just be the atmosphere.) The hazel get you in some parts of the country, almond friends agree on that. I pine for more clear weather, though I will peanut alarmed if the air isn't of the highest quality.

TEd, your pistachioed and bearded correspondent

PS

My God, I think I've been hexed.

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Oh my. Is this my fault?

Z-Dub

Oh my. Is this my fault?

Not really, but TEd is 'on call' if you wanna start smore.