Monday, October 29, 2012

Jackalope

jack-a-lope ((jklōp)

noun
1. a mythic North American animal (or "fearsome critter"), described as a rabbit with antlers, often recreated by taxidermists.
The supercilious jackalope caused a wild hullabaloo, by claiming to be related to the pygmy deer and infamous killer rabbits.* 

Synonyms: blutschink, dahu, dilldapp, ellwetritsch, hanghuhn, horned rabbit, rasselbock, wolpertinger.

*It feels wrong to reference killer rabbits without mentioning the Rabbit of Caerbannog and Monty Python.
**Douglas, Wyoming was named "the Home of the Jackalope" because the fearsome critters were first discovered there in 1829. To celebrate their jackalope heritage, the town has erected a jackalope statue and celebrates Jackalope Days in early June.
***Ronald Reagan had a jackalope head mounted in his home, and as a joke in the 1980s, claimed to have hunted and caught the creature himself. The senator of South Dakota, James Abdnor, also gave Reagan and taxidermy jackalope head as a gag gift.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Neologist

ne-ol-o-gist (niˈɑlədʒəst)

noun

1. a person who coins new words or phrases.
Some clever neologist has been running around the internet trying to make librocubicularist a new word, with varying degrees of success. I did find it on Wordnik, a site that often seems full of neologisms.  

Synonyms: bombast, child, circumlocutionist, poet, teenager, undergrad.


Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Jentacular

jen-tac-u-lar (jen-TAK-yuh-luhr)
adjective
1. of or pertaining to breakfast, consumed early in the morning or immediately after waking.
Would you like toast and jam with your tea? We also have yogurt, cereal, bacon, eggs, and numerous other jentacular offerings.

Synonyms: breakfast-ish, morning-menu-esque.*

*See how desperately we need this word!?!
**As appropriate as this word would be for describing the many spectacular qualities that originated with my sister, Jenny, that would not be an appropriate use of the term.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Monograph

mon-o-graph (ˈmänəˌgraf)

noun
1. A detailed written study of a very specific topic or single aspect of it.
What could be more of a monograph thanTammy Lee Morris's Zombie Mama's Guide to Undead Etiquette? I never would have imagined there was an art to walking around moaning, "Brrraaainnnsss..."

Synonyms: Ph.d Dissertation.