FollowHere 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.
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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
