June Review winners
First, thanks to everyone who participated in June’s Word Nerd VocabularyReview. Three ladies got all three questions correct! Congrats to - Emily McGee, who writes very interesting posts about her traveling adventures at One Trailing Spouse. She currently lives in Kenya with her husband, and I love reading about her experiences. She also offers recommended links every Friday.
- Susan Stillwell, from I Hope for Him and Blogmama Susan . See her blogs for devotions, prayers, practical blogging advice, and Friday roundups.
- Sally Mayor, who offers writing and website resources at her site, Word Nerd.
** Note: Susan and Sally are two time winners! Great job ladies!
A few clarifications about the review. I left the analogy pedantic : academic :: pernicious : ___________ open ended on purpose. I was looking for a synonym for pernicious, and several of you gave excellent answers (ie. harmful, malicious, malevolent.) Also, my third question asked you to choose a definition for preternaturally, which is an adverb. However, all of my answers were adjectives! Emily McGee caught this and wrote in her answer as “extraordinarily” instead of extraordinary. Good eye, Emily, and extra kudos to you!
Come back on the last Tuesday in July for another (less confusing) review and another chance to earn “link love.”
This Week’s New Word
Gidget, an energetic little dog, keeps the horses in line at the barn where my daughter takes riding lessons. When my daughter commented on the dog’s unusual name, I explained that Gidget was a character from a 1960s TV show. In the process of “Googling” Gidget, I discovered that it’s the portmanteauof the words “girl” and “midget”.
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| Sally Field as Gidget |
Portmanteau \pōrt-‘man-tō\ noun, from French porter to carry + manteau mantle; originally meaning a large carrying bag, but in 1882 it also came to be used as a word blending more than one use or quality.
Word Nerd Note: Dickens uses portmanteau several times in Great Expectations to refer to Pip’s luggage.
Word Nerd Workout Create your own portmanteau or share one you have heard.
Some examples:
linner (lunch + dinner)
ginormous (giant + enormous) – my husband hates this one
brilly (brisk + chilly)
I can’t wait to see your suggestions! Thanks for stopping by!
You may also like my posts on these word nerdy words:
Julia
My absolute favorite portmanteau word is: fantabulous- fantastic meets fabulous!
I missed the Word Nerd Trails…rats, I missed it! Is this is anticipation of the Word Nerd Olympics. Could this be held in London? 🙂 I will look for more contests!
Love the portmanteau word – can’t recall ever hearing that one.
Words we use in our house:
Chill + Relax = Chillax (This one we can only say with a surfer accent followed by the word, “Dude.”)
Patrick married Natalie so we call them “Patalie”
Peter married Allison so we call them “Pallison”
I believe the combined names came about from the medias dubbing of couples such as TomKat. Fun post!
Thanks Amy! I didn’t have Olympics planned, but what a great idea! You’ve got me thinkin’ now – but unfortunately, I can’t take us all to London! Chillax is a favorite of mine- great addition to the list! I’ll have another quiz at the end of the month! Hope to hear from you then!
Man, I will pass one of these Word Nerd Trials if it’s the last thing I do!!!!!!!!!!!
LOL! You will, Laura, I have no doubt!
Golly, you English majors are smart! I should’ve paid more attention to vocab in high school. Maybe then my scores would’ve been more balanced.
I have no idea about “gidget.” What a fun portmanteau!
You tech types are very smart too – we all have different gifts. Don’t ask me to write a program. Thanks for stopping by this word nerdy spot!
During dinner last week, when my kids said my husband had dimples, he quickly responded that they were in fact ‘smile lines’ (less-affectionately known as wrinkles). So, we coined a new term: wrimples. (wrinkles + dimples)
Perfect example Kirsten, one that causes me to smile and show my wimples. 😉
Pardon me, wrimples. 🙂
Woohooo! I am so excited that I got the vocabulary correct. (I used to teach SAT verbal prep classes, so I felt a lot of pressure to do well on your quiz!)
Also, portmanteau words are my favorite. My husband and I always try to make them up. Here’s my fave:
snackccident- when you ate too much of a snack and are no longer hungry for a meal
You did an excellent job! Obviously you are well prepared! My husband and I often make our own portmanteau words also, but until recently, I didn’t know there was an official name for such creations! I love yours, and my kids have had many a “snackccident”.