A few years ago, in a post about other things, I mentioned this book. It just came to mind again as we discussed "what you call . .. and what we call" as we talk about snow days and coats.

Has anyone else read this book?
_Frindle_ by Andrew Clements. "When he decides to turn his fifth grade teacher's love of the dictionary around on her, clever Nick Allen invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly moves beyond his control."

Have you ever tried to use a made up word so that others would take it into their vocabularies?

I take it you've seen the classic episode of Blackadder where he meets Dr Johnson?

If not here's a link to a transcript.

It's much funnier to watch though.

That is funny, Bob.

Remember that professor who made up a word and then went to a lot of trouble to have people use it? Does anyone remember that word?

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I take it you've seen the classic episode of Blackadder where he meets Dr Johnson?

My son loves Blackadder so much that we've got them all on DVD and have watched them over and over. Thanks for the link to the transcript, though - delightful! You're right, it is funnier to watch.

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Originally posted by Caterwauller:


Have you ever tried to use a made up word so that others would take it into their vocabularies?

Constantly. Sunflower swears I'm "speaking in tongues!" I mentioned "etrahation" instead of "education" for the typical US system, and "snallygaster" is a nice term for various chimeras encountered on one's daily rounds of the nooks and crannies of one's mind.

OOOh - I like those snallygasters - they keep me amused!

We have the entire Blackadder collection also, but on videotape, and the VCR just died. Hate to go out and buy the whole thing again on DVD, and hate to buy a new VCR when we hardly ever use it anymore! So it is nice to have the transcript. Nobody says "wobblebottom" like Rowan Atkinson. :-)

Yes, when I was about 13, some of my friends created a word, "smab." They began going around saying things like, "Oh, you're just a smab," or "He's such a smab." It drove everybody nuts, because nobody knew what it meant, and that was it meant nothing--but I'm sure the intent was something along the lines of "jerk" or "dork." Obviously it didn't catch on. It's only listed under acronyms and I'm sure it was not meant to mean any of those listed.

Wordmatic

I sometimes call people "agnaptuous slergs" if I'm mad at them. When frustrated I yell, "razzlefraggits!" Got that one from a co-worker - as opposed to a coworker, which is someone who turns cows into orks.

You are hilarious, Asa. I love "razzlefraggits!"

I have completely changed the meaning of "balderdash" from "nonsense" to "Darn!"...or worse. When I am frustrated, I will say, "Oh balderdash!" Odd, I know. I just love the sound of the word, I guess.

We were talking about euphemistic swearing at work a few weeks ago and one of my co-workers, another Children's Librarian, said that he has trined himself to say "Mother Hubbard!" when he's really frustrated. I love it! Problem is, I can't think straight when I'm that upset, so I don't trust myself to say the innocuous version.

Mother Hubbard? As in the silly boy's rhyme, "Old Mother Hubbard/Went to the cupboard/To give her doggie a bone. When she bent over/Rover took over. He had a bone of his own?" Pubescent boys say this on occasion, y'see.

Oh dear - I didn't know this version of the rhyme. I'll have to ask my co-worker if he's heard it.