Fun with words: Part II

Almost a month after I announced that one of my goals for 2006 is to invent a new word, I’ve finally made some headway.

Well, technically, I haven’t done a damn thing. But regular readers of this blog flooded my in-box with ideas. Which got me thinking. Why should I do any work when you guys are more than willing to do it for me?

So I’ve compiled your suggestions and listed them below. Some are awesome (hotrob). Some are not so awesome (dojo sapien). But we’re still at the brainstorming stage so, you know, no judgement.

Ultimately, the real challenge is to create a word or saying so pithy it becomes part of the pop culture lexicon. Like "off the hook" or "couch potato" or even "blog."

So in the spirit of keeping the English language fresh and confusing, here's a first crack at creating a new word or saying:

Carbohysteria: Worrying obsessively about how many grains you’re eating (submitted by Craig).

Dojo sapien: Guys who take martial arts way too seriously (submitted by Craig).

Hangry: A bad mood brought on by hunger. Used to describe the state people are in when they are so hungry they get crabby. Once they get some food into themselves, they are actually quite cheery (submitted by Tamara).

Hotrob: A person or animal that grossly overestimates his or her own physical attractiveness. This is not meant to be synonymous with narcissist, which is more like excessive self-love. It’s simply a term to describe someone who sees themselves in an overly optimistic light relative to how other people actually perceive them (kind of like the way my mother sees me). Example of usage: "It’s hard to believe Craig thinks he’s in Laura’s league, what a hotrob." We may want to include a phonetic treatment as well, to ensure that no one mispronounces it "ho-trob" (submitted by Chach).

Minoritory: The current state of uncertainty in Canadian politics. It’s a combination of minority and purgatory, with the added bonus that purgatory ends in Tory (submitted by Craig).

Spearfisher: Used to describe those gentlemen who go out to bars with the sole objective of a commitment-free evening of lust. In honour of those who only hunt with their spear. Although not terribly clever, I like this term because it is easy, digestible and stands a good chance of being picked up by lame, frat-happy chums around the country looking for a new way to say "I want to get laid" (submitted by Chach).

Washing the undies: Blogging about the most tedious, minute, personal non-events to an unresponsive readership (submitted by Classic).

It’s a good start. I’m excited about this project. And we still have 11 months left to invent a word or saying. So keep sending me your ideas and I’ll post regular progress reports. Then we’ll vote on the best word and I’ll mail the winner some sort of prize.

But the fun doesn’t end there. Once we settle on the word, Chach and I will start thinking about a marketing strategy. We’re going to mainstream this shit up.