Stunt word

Stunt word

A Stunt word is a term for a word created to artificially suggest importance, or coined merely to demonstrate how clever the coiner is. Examples are "gloatation", "titterosity", and "truthiness" (the last generally being attributed to Stephen Colbert). Some stunt words are portmanteau words, such as "McMansion" and "yuppie". [The Oxford Companion to the English Language, Oxford University Press (1992), p. 991 (ISBN 0-19-214183-X)] [Fifty Years Among the New Words: A Dictionary of neologisms, Cambridge University Press, Edited by John Algeo, p. 231 (ref. "smuttery") (ISBN-13: 978-0521449717)] Some Bushisms qualify as stunt words. [John Algeo, Adele Algeo, "Among the New Words", American Speech, Vol. 66, No. 4 (Winter, 1991), pp. 380-406.]

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Word of mouth — is a reference to the passing of information by verbal means, especially recommendations, but also general information, in an informal, person to person manner. Word of mouth is typically considered a face to face spoken communication, although …   Wikipedia

  • stunt — I UK [stʌnt] / US noun [countable] Word forms stunt : singular stunt plural stunts 1) something dangerous, for example jumping from a building, that is done to entertain people, often as part of a film a stunt plane stunt flying/driving/fighting …   English dictionary

  • stunt man — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms stunt man : singular stunt man plural stunt men cinema a man whose job is to perform dangerous actions in a film …   English dictionary

  • stunt woman — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms stunt woman : singular stunt woman plural stunt women cinema a woman whose job is to perform dangerous actions in a film …   English dictionary

  • Rice grassy stunt virus — Taxobox color=violet name = Rice grassy stunt virus (RGSV) virus group = v familia = genus = Tenuivirus species = Rice grassy stunt virus synonyms = rice rosette Philippines virus probably rice rosette virusRice grassy stunt virus (RGSV) is a… …   Wikipedia

  • List of films that most frequently use the word "fuck" — Contents 1 Number of uses 2 See also …   Wikipedia

  • publicity stunt — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms publicity stunt : singular publicity stunt plural publicity stunts something unusual that is done to make people notice a person, organization, or product …   English dictionary

  • anus envy — n. A longing to emulate the behavior of obnoxious TV and radio personalities. Example Citation: Anus envy: The practice by fans of The Jerky Boys, Howard Stern, Rush Limbaugh, and others of trying to emulate or outdo their idols. Gareth Branwyn,… …   New words

  • MTBU — abbr. Maximum time to belly up; the maximum number of days, weeks, or months that a company is expected to survive. Example Citation: Investors keep track of how much money their portfolio companies have on hand, and how long they can survive… …   New words

  • xkcd — Panel from Philosophy Author(s) Randall Munroe Website x …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”