I needed a word today. I fished around that musty brain attic of mine, and could find none that were appropriate. So I coined one. “Embafflement.” Embafflement is the feeling of oncoming confusion. Embafflement is the sense that the more you know, the less you understand. Why did I need the word embafflement? Well… IContinue reading “On Today’s New Word”
Tag Archives: Neologisms
On Blizzardammerung
On Friday, the world knew, an apocalyptic snowstorm was coming. It was coming up the jet stream, from the south. We could see fifteen inches, twenty-four inches, perhaps even forty inches of snow. A winter storm warning was issued from 10 am Friday to 10 pm Saturday. Some thought the office would be closed onContinue reading “On Blizzardammerung”
On Being Histamatic
I am histamatic. That’s my word-coinage for the day, defined as “I itch all freakin’ over.” Why is Allyn histamatic? I ate some mango in a fruit salad a few days ago. Mango contains trace quantities of urushiol, the active toxin in poison ivy that causes skin irritation. Cashews also contain trace amounts of urushiol.Continue reading “On Being Histamatic”
On Today’s Word Coinage
I had to coin a word today. “Hyper-south.” I was writing some dialogue. Two characters were talking about a situation that had gone horribly wrong. “It went south,” as one might say. But then the situation, which really couldn’t or shouldn’t have gotten any worse, did. Saying it went “further south” didn’t work. It wasContinue reading “On Today’s Word Coinage”
On Word-Coinage
At work today it was decided — I had coined a new word. A good word. A perfect word. Clusterfuckery. I don’t claim the word. I see, from a quick Google search, that “clusterfuckery” has been in circulation for a few years now. It’s not my neologism. 🙂 Yet, I’m still going to use it.Continue reading “On Word-Coinage”