WORDSPY
www.wordspy.com is a tremendous site, full of neologisms, puns and portmanteau words. Americans are much more innovative with language. Don't visit the site unless you've got about an hour to spare because it's difficult to tear yourself away. Here are some of my faves:
leapling n. A new baby born on February 29; a person born on February 29.
latte factor n. Seemingly insignificant daily purchases that add up to a significant amount of money over time.
security mom n. A woman with children who believes the most important issue of the day is national security, particularly the fight against terrorism.
anacronym n. An acronym where few people remember what each letter stands for (anachronistic + acronym).
askable parent n. A parent who is willing to answer their child's questions and who encourages their child to ask questions, particularly about sex.
baked potato n. A person who watches television or videos while high on drugs
big hair house n. A house that has a garish style and that is overly large compared to its lot size and to the surrounding houses.
fiscalamity n. Dire financial or economic distress created by fiscal mismanagement.
go Cyrillic vb. When a computer display becomes corrupted and its text is unreadable.
inhuman-interest story n. Tabloid jargon for a story about space aliens.
learning a living pres participle. Working in a job that requires the constant learning of new knowledge and skills.
knee mail n. A prayer, especially one said while kneeling.
swiped out adj. Relating to a credit card or bank card with a magnetic strip that no longer works.
wardrobe malfunction n. A problem with a part of one's clothing; an error in fashion judgment.
quirkyalone n. A person who enjoys being single and so prefers to wait for the right person to come along rather than dating indiscriminately.
niche worrying n. Dealing with fears by worrying about one thing at a time.
egosurfing pres participle. Scouring the Internet's search engines for mentions of your own name or your business name.
www.wordspy.com is a tremendous site, full of neologisms, puns and portmanteau words. Americans are much more innovative with language. Don't visit the site unless you've got about an hour to spare because it's difficult to tear yourself away. Here are some of my faves:
leapling n. A new baby born on February 29; a person born on February 29.
latte factor n. Seemingly insignificant daily purchases that add up to a significant amount of money over time.
security mom n. A woman with children who believes the most important issue of the day is national security, particularly the fight against terrorism.
anacronym n. An acronym where few people remember what each letter stands for (anachronistic + acronym).
askable parent n. A parent who is willing to answer their child's questions and who encourages their child to ask questions, particularly about sex.
baked potato n. A person who watches television or videos while high on drugs
big hair house n. A house that has a garish style and that is overly large compared to its lot size and to the surrounding houses.
fiscalamity n. Dire financial or economic distress created by fiscal mismanagement.
go Cyrillic vb. When a computer display becomes corrupted and its text is unreadable.
inhuman-interest story n. Tabloid jargon for a story about space aliens.
learning a living pres participle. Working in a job that requires the constant learning of new knowledge and skills.
knee mail n. A prayer, especially one said while kneeling.
swiped out adj. Relating to a credit card or bank card with a magnetic strip that no longer works.
wardrobe malfunction n. A problem with a part of one's clothing; an error in fashion judgment.
quirkyalone n. A person who enjoys being single and so prefers to wait for the right person to come along rather than dating indiscriminately.
niche worrying n. Dealing with fears by worrying about one thing at a time.
egosurfing pres participle. Scouring the Internet's search engines for mentions of your own name or your business name.
