Non-words for November

Here are the Non-Words for November. One more month to go. Thanks to Becky Bartlett for cudgedit and to David Brown for the idea behind chronosomnia.

    hensive, adj. able to be grasped or held, metaphorically or physically. 1 Nov

    uningratiate, v. to behave in a manner that is not ingratiating but rather is grating. 2 Nov

    unmean, v. to mean the opposite of what you say, whether thru duplicity or Freudian slippage. 3 Nov

    snailgate, v. to drive so slowly on a one-lane road that a line of other cars forms behind you. 4 Nov

    youify, v. to rewrite a document to present information from the point of view of the reader rather than the writer. 5 Nov

    breaker-downer, n. something thought to be in good shape that needs continual repair (the opposite of a fixer-upper). 6 Nov

    electacle, n. an election night that turns into a media spectacle as commentators struggle to delay announcing the inevitable. 7 Nov

    etcecte, v. [pron. “eksekt”] to finish sentences with “and so on,” “etcetera,” “and blah, blah, blah,” and so forth. 8 Nov

    floint, v. to ostentatiously put a fly in someone’s ointment, that is, to cheerfully mess them up. 9 Nov

    defilliate, v. to withdraw from associations or business arrangements over ethical, political or policy disagreements. 10 Nov

    reconcuss, v. to search for wall studs by tapping the covering plasterboard (by extension to search by tapping). 11 Nov

    mirthers, n. conspiracy theorists who look for deep hidden insults in jokes, denying the possibility of humor. 12 Nov

    grerd, n. a grammar nerd whose interests go beyond snootiness and an obsession with the Oxford comma. 13 Nov

    eintropy, feature of special relativity by which a return car trip always seems to go faster than the arriving trip. 14 Nov

    biographilia, n. to become enamored of one’s biographer because of a shared fascination with the subject. 15 Nov

    meistraturra, n. the feeling of pleasure when gets from watching someone who is really good at their job. 16 Nov

    theynt, v. to consciously use the singular “they”as the antecedent of an indefinite pronoun. 17 Nov

    cudgedit v. to edit as though one is using a stick rather than a scalpel (thanks to Becky Bartlett). 18 Nov

    antigrate, n. someone who is uncomfortable receiving a compliment (adj. form is antigratious). 19 Nov

    respondsible, adj. one who can be counted on to reply quickly to an email, text, tweet or posting. 20 Nov

    hailingerer, n. individual who cannot say hello briefly but insist on chatting at length. 21 Nov

    tryptofandom, post-Thanksgiving-dinner sports viewing. 22 Nov

    irrapport, n. to have nothing in common with another person. 23 Nov

    chronosomnia, v. to be unable to sleep before a trip because you are worried about not hearing the alarm. 24 Nov

    trudgemudgeon, n. one who begins complaining as soon as a trip has begun, but rarely takes part in the planning. 25 Nov

    cipher Monday, n. a Monday on which little or no work gets done because of online shopping and holiday story-telling. 26 Nov

    WTFAQ (“wootfak”) acronym expressing both surprise and indignant disagreement: “What the? –For your information…!”) 27 Nov

    insultate, v. to insulate a colleague or friend from criticism by insulting him or her yourself. 28 Nov

    evisceral, adj not merely gut-wrenching but disembowelingly so.

    nad hoc, adj. impulsiveness brought on by sudden physical attraction or unexpected attraction. 30 Nov

About Ed Battistella

Edwin Battistella’s latest book Dangerous Crooked Scoundrels was released by Oxford University Press in March of 2020.
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