Non-words for June

    ruinison, n. any instance of harmony in which individuals or machine parts act in concert with a disastrous result. 1 Jun

    grieflection, n. thoughts on the life of a passing friend or loved one, and on your life too (suggested by Jon Lange). 2 Jun

    bucolage, n. construction or creation of something new from whatever is available in the countryside; also, bucoleur. 3 Jun

    kedawdle, v to take too long leaving an event or ending a conversation, to the point of frustrating others. 4 Jun

    confête, n. a celebratory day, especially one involving a tickertape parade. 5 Jun

    sasstisfaction, n. the pleasure that arises from giving lively, cheeky backtalk. 6 Jun

    brimdowed, adj. to have part of one’s face shaded by the brim or bill of a hat or cap. 7 Jun

    dediduum, n. one’s mental or writtten to do list, encompassing both personal and professional tasks (plural: dedidua). 8 Jun

    kabood, v. to group or pack people or things into some space (backformation of kaboodle, a variant of caboodle). 9 Jun

    cogregate, v. to act as cogs in a machine, i.e., as teeth on a wheel, adding force by interacting with other cogs. 10 Jun

    done sequitur, n. when the ending of a piece of writing has little to do with the rest of the essay. 11 Jun

    sclare, n. look on a presenter’s face that could be either controlled panic or quiet determination. 12 Jun

    blut, v. to fall asleep in a library, especially during exam week. 13 Jun

    indoctorination, n. the awarding of a doctoral degree (with thanks to Jeannie Green). 14 Jun

    laccalaureate, adj. to be just a few credits short for graduation from college. 15 Jun

    gladuation, n. happiness and satisfaction felt by high school or college graduates, their families and their teachers. 16 Jun

    gruve, n. the grading curve in a large class of students. 17 Jun

    alsomore, adv. a transitional word used in a sentence after one has already used “also.” The equivalent of Post PS. 18 Jun

    inglorified, adj. to be made ignominious, as opposed to mere deglorification. 19 Jun

    tattooboo, n. an offensive or inappropiate tattoo that one regrets having gotten (from tattoo + taboo + boo boo). 20 Jun

    extimidate, v. to make yourself larger and louder in order to show a cougar that you’re not afraid. 21 Jun

    gagand, v. talk to oneself while preening and titivating in front of a mirror (titivating is a real word!). 22 Jun

    hearread, v. to listen to an audiobook. Pronounced as HEAR-READ or past tense HEAR-RED (suggested by Mary Williams). 23 Jun

    dilemmification, n. to create an either-or problem where one does not exist (to invoke the false dichotomy fallacy). 24 Jun

    zeitweaver n. one whose narrative creates a backstory through a series of flashbacks (also, the backform zeitweave). 25 Jun

    quipness, n. when a situation lends itself to a brief witty remark or spontaneous yet pointed observation. 26 Jun

    enthudiasm, n. initial excitement about or interest in something followed by rapid disillusionment. 27 Jun

    textpectant, adj. anxiously awaiting a text message. 28 Jun

    broccolize, v. to make a false analogy, especially one using green vegetables. 29 Jun

    smidgle, v. to reduce the size of a product while leaving the price the same. 30 Jun

Wow. I’ve made it to the half-way point. I can see Dec. 31 up ahead. Thanks to Jon Lange, Jeannie Greene and Mary Williams for their suggestions.

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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