Flakespeare

April 26, 2010 5:12 PM

Unwords.com maintains a collection of words that individuals and other apostrophascists have made up at some point in time to adjectize things that aren't associated with a term in the English language, or to describe them with a term that is a fuzzword, or to describe things that make one ghastipate... a fictionary, if you will.

The topic list is a good place to find fun unwords.

posted by netbros (33 comments total)

I was about to post how these are just basically user submitted sniglets, but then I noticed actual sniglets in the list with an icon indicating as such. So they're self-aware of this fact.
posted by Hamusutaa at 5:17 PM on April 26, 2010

Hamusutaa, you beat me to it! Though nowadays Urban Dictionary is the current incarnation of sniglets.
posted by zardoz at 5:18 PM on April 26, 2010

How has foxymoron never occurred to me? That seems impossible.
posted by Wolfdog at 5:23 PM on April 26, 2010

A list of stupid words people have used because they were lazy, ignorant or both.
posted by oddman at 5:26 PM on April 26, 2010

Metafilter: A list of stupid words people have used because they were lazy, ignorant or both.
posted by Rangeboy at 5:28 PM on April 26, 2010

A
List
Of
Stupid
Words
People
Have
Used
Because
They
Were
Lazy
Ignorant
Or
Both
posted by carsonb at 5:31 PM on April 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

A list of stupid words people have used because they were lazy, ignorant or both.

Yeah, fuck those people for not using Oddman's List of Approved Words™!
posted by eyeballkid at 5:34 PM on April 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

OK, we need this list why? I mean, we don't have enough neologisms already, now I have to bookmark a whole list of words that aren't even neologisms, but just vocalizations that ought to be? OK, I did bookmark it, but I gave up trying to keep up ten years ago, so there is little hope of me remembering any of these when needed.



BTW, is there a word, or unword for those that gripe and whine about every attempt at humor? Or use intentional foolishness as a means of showing there perceived superiority? Just wondering, that seems a useful enough item, that even I could remember it. (and if you think they first paragraph hereto fits that category, you need some sort of filter cleaned.).
posted by Some1 at 5:36 PM on April 26, 2010

...mefite?
posted by subbes at 5:38 PM on April 26, 2010

"Critic"
posted by carsonb at 5:38 PM on April 26, 2010

Aloswphubtwliob?

carsonb, that's the worst acrostic I've ever read.
posted by cog_nate at 5:59 PM on April 26, 2010

If I may hazard a digression into words that are real, here is a list of words that master wordsmith (not a word, apparently) David Foster Wallace circled in his copy of the American Heritage Dictionary.
Not sure if it's been featured hence on Metafilter - probably - but a friend just sent it to me and it is both amusing and illuminating.
posted by Flashman at 6:03 PM on April 26, 2010 [2 favorites]

A List Of Stupid Words People Have Used Because They Were Lazy Ignorant Or Both

ALOSWPHUBYWLIOB? You should submit that.
posted by maus at 6:03 PM on April 26, 2010

Seven years ago we came up with novenclature.

I think it's better.
posted by Captaintripps at 6:13 PM on April 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

Aloswphubtwliob says 'what?'
posted by zippy at 6:13 PM on April 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

ALOSWPHUBYWLIOB?
Pronunciation guide, please?
posted by emhutchinson at 6:20 PM on April 26, 2010

I used to buy the sniglets books when they came out-- did any of those words ever make it into common usage?

I personally have several terms that demonstrate my lazy inability to remember the real names: BoysNSynch is any boy band, Everybody Loves Earl refers to any recent semi-amusing sitcom, and Melrose Beach is one of those dramas my teenager watches. I don't expect any of my made-up nonsense to go national.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:31 PM on April 26, 2010

I feel like a baby given a dill pickle just to watch me make that screwy face.
posted by applemeat at 6:50 PM on April 26, 2010

It's UrbanDictionary. Again.
posted by LogicalDash at 6:50 PM on April 26, 2010

Also I love people that seem to be of the opinion that while language is not a static ideal the only approved way for it to change is through coining new words. Pruning the language of useless words is as much a proper function as coining neologisms.
posted by oddman at 7:00 PM on April 26, 2010

There were a couple of other collections of these; Wanted Words 1 and 2 (currently going for peanuts at Chapters.)

I particularly like meanderthal, which WW defines as 'someone who maintains the speed limit only to speed up when you try to pass him' (Unwords has a different meaning, equally good.)
posted by Hardcore Poser at 7:08 PM on April 26, 2010

Sooo....are you suggesting that calling attention to words that are out of usage is a proper method of getting rid of them?
posted by perspicio at 7:09 PM on April 26, 2010

Flashman, Wallace list was discussed here


A good post (imho). Not as long a thread as this one.
posted by Some1 at 7:29 PM on April 26, 2010

whoa. Wrong post; the list was in a follow up on MeTalk
posted by Some1 at 7:36 PM on April 26, 2010

No, I was suggesting that shaming people via insult was a good way to get them to stop making pointless neologisms.

It's not like I provided the link or anything.

(Listen I'll keep responding as long as you guys want, but I really don't see what's in it for you.)
posted by oddman at 8:11 PM on April 26, 2010

I still prefer the Deeper Meaning of Liff...
posted by oonh at 8:14 PM on April 26, 2010

excellent post! cheers.
posted by the_very_hungry_caterpillar at 1:37 AM on April 27, 2010

Linguists do this all the time in academic papers. It's kind of accepted I think. I mean, if you have a concept that you're trying to convey succinctly and the word you need isn't in the proper word class you need it to be in, it's a hell of a lot easier and clearer to morphemize the neologobob than re-mangle a phrasicle with some whack-a-syntax.
posted by iamkimiam at 2:27 AM on April 27, 2010 [3 favorites]

Shakespeare made up words all the time and I am at least as good a writer as he was.
posted by Astro Zombie at 5:27 AM on April 27, 2010 [1 favorite]

Don't sell yourself short, AZ. You're better than that hack. In fact, Astro Zombie 3's collected works are more powerful than Julius Caesar and Macbeth combined.
posted by languagehat at 5:44 AM on April 27, 2010

I am surprised that abandonmitt is not about Governor Romney.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 8:51 AM on April 27, 2010

AZ3 does have the enviable quality of succinctness.
posted by Astro Zombie at 9:26 AM on April 27, 2010

I don't get it.
*Not apostrophasc-ist
posted by hypersloth at 12:04 PM on April 27, 2010