A need for new words

 

Your humble narrator needs some workers. Anyone feeling creative?

WE NEED SOME new words. University teacher Jenny Eagleton sent me the following letter:

“Dear Mr Jam, I wonder if you have made-up words for the following? I tried to get my linguistics course students to do this, but I think that they were stumped. Thanks.”

Here’s her list:

1. Fending off open umbrellas from shorter people in crowds when it is raining
2. On hearing someone about to clear their throat behind you
3. People rushing into train before you can get out
4. Pressing lift buttons multiple times to try to get the lift door closed quickly.
5. Walking up the escalator rather than standing still

*
I know you’ll find this easy, gang. You may recall that we made up a bunch of words last year. Here are a few of them, just to remind you about how to do it.
*
Abdomoan: The strange whining noises that come from your stomach when you’re doing the Atkins no-carbs diet.
*
Abracandalabra: The technique of adding candlesticks to the table to make dinner magically romantic.
*
Absolescence: Teenage ability to make any adolescent trend instantly out of date, as in: “That’s so ten minutes ago.”
*
Chickweed: Slim, pastel-colored cigarettes marketed for young women.
*
Chimpansy: The male monkey who sits in the corner of the cage, refuses to wrestle for supremacy with the alpha male apes, and spends his time doing another chimp’s hair.
*
Crushtasian: Getting into overcrowded public transport in Asia and feeling like a tinned prawn.
*
So let’s make up some new words.

You can use Jenny’s list, or just make them up out of the blue, like last time.

The best ones I will compile into a column to be sent to newspapers and magazines in a week or so.

*

Second, I have had lots of letters suggesting ways this column could evolve. One or two said there were too many updates; they wanted fewer, longer posts and meatier discussions. Others said it should evolve into a free, web-accessible TV segment. Still others wanted more of a focus on creativity/fiction etc. All these are possibilities. If there’s any particular direction you think this gang should go in, please share your thoughts. Huge thanks as always.

Comments

[Clarity.]

How's about "Mass Urbantransportophobia" for the "3.People rushing into train before you can get out".

People fear they won't be able to go on the train unless they quickly rush on it and do so with such speed that they obstruct and trap any passengers who want to alight.

[farah]

walkscalator for number 5.

[Fianne]

1. Anti-eyepoking
3. Powerblocking / trainflooding
5. Escalascending

[TS]

5a. Escabludgers: people who stand still on escalators and moving sidewalks.

[Angela]

2. Mucostorant

4. Liftfingeritis

[Angela]

this sounds better:

2. Mucostorrent

[TS]

1. Fighting rain midgets

2. Phlegmagnise

3. Rush hour salmons

4. Liftfrenetic

[fardel]

MTRammers

Umbrellafencing or rainfencing

liftpianist

Nuryjamming : packing these columns with comments

Nuryjellying :packing these columns with sweet comments

Nurypop :when a reader pops a fuse in public , reading these columns

SingleO'netter :single person fishing the internet, to net up a companion

SinglO'netter: same as above , but this single person is originating from an Island State

planetsplorer: a chicken ( scared shitless individual) travelling the world on his/her computer

traipsing: A long process , when a guy is trying to trap a damselle into marriage (his chance are initially slim)

[Angela]

2. Expectowarning

[Harry]

1. Umphing

2. De-phlegming

3. Rushian

4. Chinese Syndrome

5. Escalitis

[piya]

Dear Nury,
I would like to produce my made-up words to the list as below,

1.Defendabreliting
2.Brainscrapping
3.Tsun-army(Sounds like Tsunami) / MTRome(A derivation from the word "Storm")
4.Typelifting
5.Walkalating

[Dan Kubiske]

Who needs new words for some of these? Perfectly good ones already exist. To wit:

3. People rushing into train before you can get out

Hong Konger or Washingtonian (as in DC)

4. Pressing lift buttons multiple times to try to get the lift door closed quickly.

Definitely: Hong Konger

5. Walking up the escalator rather than standing still

Definitely: Washingtonian

[crissie chavez]

Nury! I'd prefer a couple of short reads rather than few long ones! This is the Mr. Jam style, at least!! (Ugh I actually didnt mind forgetting to buy RD June issue just cos I was already getting free stories from this site!)

5. escalathlon

[Cookie]

1.umpfender
2.eavesthroat
3.ruderusher
4.hyperpresser
5.marathonian-escalatee

[sej]

Madoffian: Synonymous with "Conman", or the philosophy or psychology pertaining to confidence tricksters. Or perhaps the stupidity of people to believe in unreal rates of return.

[David V]

3-NoWaitLifting

[David V]

Previous was for 4

3- Metrimpolitans

[David V]

1- parasoldier

sorry for the multiple posts, I post as I find :). Otherwise I personally like the current format. Also I was wondering if you were using Twitter?

[David V]

2 - Hawkwardeness

[David V]

5 - Stairwayfaring

[Mike Munson]

Belittlesome : the act of refering to someone or class of people you feel is a lesser status than you in diminutive or childish terms. Such as those little farm workers or the girls at the offfice.

[TS]

Mimetrain: Rush hour train so full that people are up against the windows like street mimes pretending to be in a glass box.

Nutsnut: A person obsessed with breasts.

Nutsnot: A person NOT obsessed with breasts.

I do foresee some confusion though.

[sej]

TS:

A term for a person obsessed with breasts:

"Sej"

The plural:

Men
Women
Babies

Perhaps the only *NOT* obesessed with breasts...

Children

[sej]

Nury: Let this diary drift in the direction you want it to.

There are things I would prefer to see (a search facility?), as would everyone else have things they would like to see, but ultimately the gang here now is here because of the way the diary currently stands.

How the diary changes will determine how the the gang changes. Some relationships will be broken, some strengthened, and new ones forged. Readers will be lost, and others gained.

Don't get me wrong, change *IS* good, but needs to be done with consideration of where *YOU* want to go. Really, many of us here are mere rabbits.

[Sham]

1. brollycade
2. forehack
5. kiasulator

[Angela]

LOL Sham..I Like your words

I am sometimes a kiasulator too :)

Definitely taller people see me as a culprit for brollycade, like in this morning rain

But never a forehack.

[Sham]

Angela, I liked 'expectowarning' too.

At 5ft10inches, I must be one of those fending off your umbrella. Sorry for elbowing you this morning:)

[Uli]

My favourite is definitely brollycade!!!
But Fardel's new words definitely should be included in Nury's list to be sent!
Great ideas, Fardel, as always!!!
Sorry I do not feel able to contribute new words for this column as I am merely an English part-time user... :-(

[Shaik Anwar Ahamath]

I think there's a wealth of new words amongst indvidual trades. I actually heard one tourist guide telling another in Colombo that his client was "Unvisvasable".