Here are a few news words created by taking any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. [This list has been floating around the internet as the Washington Post's Mensa Invitational, but it is not associated with the Washington Post.]
Some of the new words:
Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.
Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.
Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high
Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
Karmageddon: It's when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, and then the Earth explodes and it's a serious bummer.
Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.
Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
4 comments:
These are great!
Actually, there isn't any "Mensa Invitational," but there IS a connection to The Washington Post: It does have a wonderfully clever humor contest called The Style Invitational. And an Invitational contest from 1998 is the source of many of the neologisms in the list above. (But not all: For example, "decafalon" isn't a one-letter change from "decathlon," is it? Or "caterpallor"?)
Much better to see the the current Invitational -- every week at washingtonpost.com/styleinvitational. We've had more than 600 contests since the ones above! The Style Invitational is published every Saturday in The Post's Style (features) section, and every Friday afternoon at about 3:30 Eastern time. There are neologism contests regularly, and lots of other sources of humor as well.
For example, we asked readers recently to coin a new word or term that was a palindrome (it's spelled the same backward and forward). Here are some of the top winners (results printed Oct. 16):
AHA HAHA: When you finally get the joke. (Tom Flaherty, Culpeper, Va.)
EGADAGE: "Heck," "darn," etc. (Jeff Contompasis, Ashburn)
NAMETAG-GATEMAN: The conference organizer who won't let you enter until you've ruined your jacket with adhesive paper. (Dion Black, Washington)
AMENEMA: Blessed relief. (Anne Morgan, Fairfax, a First Offender)
DROWSYSWORD: Impotence. (Roy Ashley, Washington)
See the rest of the winners and learn how to enter the current contest at washingtonpost.com/styleinvitational. Or you can become a fan of "Washington Post Style" on Facebook (go to facebook.com/wapostyle ) and you'll get a link to the Invitational when it's posted. I hope you become a regular reader and maybe even a regular entrant.
Best, The Empress of The Style Invitational
The Washington Post
losers@washpost.com
Thanks for the info.
My favorite: Intaxication. [smile]
~Luke
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