New Coins
2 October, 2013
The fallen tree has been jigsawed and removed. The power line has been restored. Your blog host is back online, at last. With a neologism challenge, courtesy of American Scholar. If you don’t know the magazine, a quarterly of engaging essays and fiction, then I can recommend the read.
Below is a contest they’re running, challenging readers to create the best coinages for tomorrow’s dictionary. No prizes, but plenty of admirers, for the person to meet the minting assignment best.
What new words can encapsulate the following?
Staying seated during a standing ovation; those who stay seated.
The glow produced by multiple electronic devices being used in a dark environment.
Long-term indebtedness due to student loans.
Those who would rather text than talk. (Alternatively: a preference for texting over talking.)
Unwelcome email attachments; those who continually send them.
A closeted gay politician who opposes rights for gays.
A compulsion to coin words and phrases; one who compulsively coins them.
Challenge (6) seems tailor-made for HYPOCRITE, though this is a faux-Storm that seeks out the unique. Can you fabricate a term for one, any or all of the scenarios? A standing ovation (with nobody seated) for the best coinage in the bank.
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