by. They Have a Word for It!

Yoon Ha Lee eskrë »

> On that note, I seem to remember some "dictionary" of words that ought
> to exist, snatches of which were read to us in 3rd grade.  I can't for
> the life of me remember the author or title, but one word I remember
> vividly was "airdo," or "the little rubber-dust fragments that come from
> an eraser when you use it" (or somesuch).  This ring a bell with anyone?
Sniglets has been mentioned already, but it would be remiss to forget the
late Douglas Adams' "The Meaning of Liff" (co-written with John Lloyd), in
which placenames (mainly British) are redefined as useful words, e.g.

Dungeness (n.) - The uneasy feeling that the plastic handles
   of the overloaded supermarket carrier bag you are carrying
   are getting steadily longer.

Blean (n.) - Scientific measure of luminosity:
   1 glimmer = 100,000 bleans.
   Usherettes' torches are designed to produce between 2.5 and
   4 bleans, enabling them to assist you in falling downstairs,
   treading on people or putting your hand into a Neapolitan
   tub when reaching for change.

This last has achieved the heady heights of occasional use in our family,
particularly useful when discussing torches where the battery is very nearly
dead, so that the light is so powerful that you can just about see where it
is.

James

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james@zolid.com  James Campbell  Zeugma--Our Life Is Design  www.zolid.com

When I arrive in Memphis, I'll put a sign out on the door:
"It's OK to disturb me, that's what I came here for."
                               Chuck Cuminale (Colorblind James) 1952-2001
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