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Conference thebay::joyoflex

Title:The Joy of Lex
Notice:A Notes File even your grammar could love
Moderator:THEBAY::SYSTEM
Created:Fri Feb 28 1986
Last Modified:Mon Jun 02 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1192
Total number of notes:42769

178.0. "Sniglets to snicker at" by TOPDOC::LEVAN (Susan E. LeVan) Wed Apr 23 1986 13:51

This note is your chance to contribute original sniglets. A sniglet, for those
who haven't seen the amusing little book by that name, is a word that does not
exist but which describes something that can only be expressed by a descriptive 
phrase. The "something" is usually something silly. Sniglets are kind of like
puns, easily recognizable word plays that make you groan! For example:

	Sniglet: Millihelen
	Meaning: The amount of beauty required to launch one ship

T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
178.1papple: what a baby does to soup with its spoonSIERRA::OSMANand silos to fill before I feep, and silos to fill before I feepWed Apr 30 1986 15:3944
    Douglas Adams (author of "Space Edge Diner" series) wrote a book
    of sniglets, but I forget the actual title.  However, I do remember
    several entries:
    
    "abalene"  adjective describing the pleasing coolness of the other
    		side of the pillow.
    
    "phonenden"
    
    		the slightly embarrassing and nuisance necessity of
    		retelephoning someone with whom you were cut off during
    		the goodbyes and winding down of the conversation
    
    "papple"
    
    		what babies do to soup with their spoon
    
    "ely"	the first tingle of feeling you get as the first hint
    		that something is very very wrong
    
    There were other words that I forget, but I remember the meanings:
    
    . . .	a lump in the bedding, the repair of which requires
    		getting out of bed and largely remaking it
    
    . . .	that embarrassing time period between when two
    		of you walking towards each other down a long airport
    		corridor recognize each other and when you finally
    		get close enough to say something.   What do you do?
    		Smile the whole time ?  Count tiles and pretend not
    		to have seen the person yet ?  Yell HELLO from a hundred
    		feet away and start talking .?
    
    Anyone remember others ?
    
    Oh yes, there was
    
    . . .	the amount by which the pooled money differs (in the
    		negative) from the bill at a restaurant.  Usually everyone
    		quickly denies owing the deficit, with some claim like
    		"well, I just ordered the salad and the saltines, so
    		it isn't me"
    
    /Eric
178.2The Meaning of LifKLOV05::WARNERFri May 02 1986 07:3614
    
    	[re .1]
    
    	The book was called 'The meaning of Lif', a small black tome
    	published by Faber & Faber in the UK. A friend of mine has it
    	but I have returned it, I will try to aquire it again and enter
    	some of my favourites. The basic premise was that all the words
    	were place names given new meanings...eg
    
    	Agglethorpe : A dispute between two pooves in a boutique.
    
    	Poncenby: To exit huffily from a boutique.
    
    	-nw-
178.3Space Edge Diner???VOGON::GOODENOUGHJeff Goodenough, IPG Reading-UKFri May 02 1986 08:405
    Re: .1  And I thought Douglas Adams wrote the "Hitchhiker's Guide
    to the Galaxy" series.  Is "Space Edge Diner" Osmanspeak for "The
    Restaurant at the Edge of the Universe"?
    
    Jeff.
178.4FurnidentsOWL::FINLEYMon Jul 21 1986 17:384
    
    FURNIDENTS n. - The depressions left in a rug when you move a heavy
    		     piece of furniture.          
    
178.5Yuk!!RT101A::ROGERSD'em atoms don't cost nothin'...Sun Aug 03 1986 12:068
    
    
    
    TINKLEDEW (ting'kel-dyoo) n. - Condensation formed on urinal plumbing.
    
    LACQUER/W SYNDROME (lak'r dub'el-yoo) n. - Mental disorder causing
    an inability to pronounce the letter `R' and thus replacing with
    the letter `W'. Ex. "psst... You've got Dwagon Bweath!"
178.6Wascally WabbitsAKOV68::BOYAJIANDid I err?Sun Aug 03 1986 20:545
    re:.5
    
    One would think that it would be referred to as the Fudd Syndrome.
    
    --- jerry
178.7What's wong?EVER::MCVAYPete McVayThu Aug 14 1986 09:266
we: .5,.6

    I don't get it.  I speak nowmally, and I never noticed anything wong
    with my speech.  Elmew Fudd always talk cowectly too--I can't see why
    evweyone thinks he is so funny.
178.8A little Christmas humorMODEL::YARBROUGHFri Sep 26 1986 18:201
Creche - the noise made by a Hanukah candle falling to the floor.
178.9titleLEDS::HAMBLENsynergistic serendipityTue Dec 06 1988 15:404
	Publush..	To publish embarrassing material.


178.10Aspersion: An Iranian donkey. GAOV08::DKEATINGRyanAir now flys Ex BelguimTue Dec 06 1988 18:491
    
178.11Re: last replyIOSG::LAWMExit functionality---enter functionTue Dec 06 1988 18:5210
    
    Surely a `publush' is someone who spends too much time in public
    houses*?
    
    Mat.
    *:o)
    
    *  A public house being an inn or tavern, for those of you unfamiliar
       with where many of us in Britain spend much of our time! :-)
    
178.12COOKIE::DEVINEBob Devine, CXNTue Dec 06 1988 18:551
    sagan (n) - a very large amount of something.  More than a billion.
178.13We apologize for this interruption ...IOSG::LAWMExit functionality---enter functionTue Dec 06 1988 18:569
    
    Whoops.  Title of note 178.11 should be: -< Re: reply 178.9 >-
    
    That's the `pitfall' (:-) when using relative references rather
    than absolute ones!
    
    Mat.
    *:o)
    
178.14COOKIE::DEVINEBob Devine, CXNTue Jan 03 1989 18:326
    I have a need for a word but I am not satisfied with what I have
    come up with so far.  Any suggestions?
    
    microblast (n) - the sound a plastic bag makes when it explodes in
                     a microwave oven because someone forgot to poke
                     a hole in it...
178.15One thoughtFLASH1::KALLISAnger&#039;s no replacement for reason.Tue Jan 03 1989 19:225
    Re .14 (Bob):
    
    microblast (n) -- party of one.
    
    
178.16... another ...CSSE::CIUFFINIGod must be a Gemini...Tue Jan 03 1989 20:225
    Re .14 

        plastic blast :== plast ?
    jc

178.17I hate microwave ovens ...IOSG::LAWMDon&#039;t utilise it - USE it!Wed Jan 04 1989 12:516
    
    For this situation, I use the word `mess'!
    
    Mat.
    *:o)
    
178.18TKOV52::DIAMONDThu Feb 15 1990 12:4410
    Re .3
    
    > Re: .1  And I thought douglas Adams wrote the "Hitchhiker's Guide
    > to the Galaxy" series.  Is "Space Edge Diner" Osmanspeak for "The
    > Restaurant at the Edge of the Universe"?
    
    Is "'The Restaurant at the Edge of the Universe'" "good enough" for
    "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe"?

    Nickle:  a pickled nit.  I mean....
178.19Back to `The Meaning of Liff [sic - double f]'MARVIN::KNOWLESintentionally Rive GaucheThu Feb 15 1990 14:366
    There was one - a monosyllable ending `-nth', I think - defined as
    something like `the amount of margarine spread on a Ryvita in a
    West End sandwich bar'.  Can anyone remember the name? Can anyone
    suggest an English place name that might have been defined that way?
    
    b
178.20DUCK::AMANNPDon&#039;t ask me whyTue Feb 20 1990 13:3410
    If you are eating or of a sensitive nature please do not read on!
    
    From the meaning of life..
    
    
    
    Grimsby -> the globule of phlegm in the back of the throat that
    can never quite be removed....
    
    urgh!
178.21Actually from the Meaning Of LiffWELMTS::HILLTechnology is my Vorpal swordTue Feb 20 1990 14:201
    Re .20
178.22Yuck! Worms!CAM::MILLERLightness has a call that&#039;s hard to hearTue Feb 20 1990 15:521
    lumbercoid - resembling an earth worm
178.23DarenthAYOV27::ISMITHMr The Fish?Thu Apr 05 1990 12:1014
.19�              -< Back to `The Meaning of Liff [sic - double f]' >-

    Perhaps my favourite book.
    
.19�    There was one - a monosyllable ending `-nth', I think - defined as
.19�    something like `the amount of margarine spread on a Ryvita in a
.19�    West End sandwich bar'.  Can anyone remember the name? Can anyone

    The place (or word) is Darenth, and is something like the amount
    of margarine which will cover a piece of bread to a depth of one
    molecule,  the legal maximum allowed in sandwich bars in Greater
    London.
    
    Ian.
178.24Liff with two f'sAYOV27::ISMITHMr The Fish?Thu Apr 05 1990 12:138
.23�.19�              -< Back to `The Meaning of Liff [sic - double f]' >-

    While I'm here, the book is called 'The Meaning Of Liff' because
    it is a list of meanings for place names, and because it is almost
    'The Meaning of Life'.  Liff is indeed a place located just north
    of Dundee.
    
    Ian.
178.25BOOKIE::DAVEYThu Apr 05 1990 22:467
Re. The Meaning of Liff

I remeber this book especially for its definition of my home town of 
Beccles as "the little bits of bone in a rasher of bacon that get 
caught in your teeth". (I paraphrase slightly)

John 
178.26SMURF::BINDERFather, Son, and Holy SpigotTue May 23 1995 09:444
    Coined by my brother this past weekend:
    
    grassoline - the smell of a lawn being cut with a gasoline-powered
    lawnmower