Sniglet

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A sniglet is defined as a "word that should be in the dictionary, but isn't". While Rich Hall invented the word "sniglet" itself, sniglets are actually a long-running popular joke in which people make up their own humorous words to describe things or concepts that have no "official" words. Sniglets were popularized during the 1980s, on the HBO comedy series Not Necessarily the News. Comedian and cast member Rich Hall had a regular segment on sniglets during each episode of the monthly series.

Contents

[edit] Examples

  • ARG (Audio Retinal Gyration): The act of trying to read the label on a LP record while it's playing on a turntable. (Hall 1985a: 93)
  • Blivet: to flip your pillow looking for a cool spot (Hall 1984: 14)
  • Cheedle: The orange residue left on fingers after eating Cheetos or some other cheesy snack (Hall 1984: 21)
  • Execuglide: The act of using your wheeled office chair to move from one place to another. (Hall 1985a: 31)
  • Furnidents: The indentations left in carpet after moving heavy furniture (Hall 1983)
  • Glackett: The ball inside a can of spray paint (or other aerosol can) for stirring the contents inside the can. (Hall 1984: 38)
  • Premblememblemation: Whenever you drop a letter in the mailbox, you always re-check to make sure it's gone down. (Hall 1984)
  • Sniffleridge: The groove running between the nose and the mouth (Hall 1984: 92). (The real name for this structure is the philtrum.)
  • Toastaphobia: - The fear of sticking a fork in a toaster even when it's unplugged. (Hall 1985a: 83)

[edit] Life after HBO

In 1984, a collection of sniglets was published, titled Sniglets (snig' lit: any word that doesn't appear in the dictionary, but should). It was followed by a "daily comic panel" in newspapers,[1] four more books, a game, and a calendar. The books have their entries arranged in alphabetical order like a dictionary, with information on how to pronounce the word, followed by a definition, and sometimes accompanied by an illustration. The original book had two appendices, "Anatomical Sniglets" and "Extra Added Bonus Section for Poets" (a sniglet that rhymed with orange). More Sniglets has an "Audio-Visual Sniglets" section; the rest had no such appendices. All five books had an "Official Sniglets Entry Blank," beginning, "Dear Rich: Here's my sniglet, which is every bit as clever as any in this dictionary." The first four books listed all the contributors after the dedication page.

The Game of Sniglets involved creating new sniglets, in addition to trying to guess the "true sniglet". In the "Playing Instructions," there are ideas on "How to Create a Sniglet" which include (1) combination (Portmanteau), (2) spelling change (altering a word related to the definition), (3) pure nonsense word, or (4) a "take-off on a well known product" (a spelling change to a trademark). However, any method was acceptable.

[edit] Sniglets and society

In a 1990 interview, Hall was asked if the "Sniglets books [were] completely for comic value?" He answered,

“ Yeah. Well, no. I wouldn't say they're completely for comic value. I mean, I get letters from schools all the time saying how they've incorporated a sniglet book into their reading program. You can look at a lot of the words and sort of break them down into their etymological origins. And you can learn a lot about how and where words derive from. When you assign this frailty of human nature a word, then the word has to work. It has to either be a hybrid of several other words, or have a Latin origin, or something.[2] ”

Books such as A Handbook for Substitute Teachers (1989) by Anne Wescott Dodd and Reading and Language Arts Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites : 20 Literacy Strategies That Engage the Brain (2005) by Marcia L. Tate bear out his claim; they suggest creating sniglets as a classroom activity.

Popular English language experts such as Richard Lederer and Barbara Wallraff have noted sniglets in their books, The Miracle of Language[3] and Word Court: Wherein Verbal Virtue Is Rewarded, Crimes Against the Language Are Punished, and Poetic Justice Is Done[4] respectively.

They also are a popular subject of satire. Homer Simpson, a character on the animated series The Simpsons, suggests "Son of Sniglet" as a good book to name as a favorite and a life influence on a college application in the episode Homer Goes to College (he also suggests TV Guide and Katharine Hepburn's autobiography Me).[5] Faux newspaper The Onion ran a fake story headlined "Man Won't Stop Coming Up With New Sniglets."[6]

More recently, the idea has been "borrowed" by Barbara Wallraff for her new book "Word Fugitives: In Pursuit of Wanted Words."

[edit] Books and more

Rich Hall released several volumes of collected sniglets, illustrated by Arnie Ten:

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Metcalf, Alan (2002). Predicting New Words: The Secrets of Their Success, page 23. ISBN 0-618-13006-3
  2. ^ Lerner, Reuven M. "An interview with Rich Hall" The Tech Volume 110, No. 37, September 25, 1990, page 10.
  3. ^ Lederer, Richard (1999). The Miracle of Language, page 58
  4. ^ Wallraff, Barbara (2001). Word Court: Wherein Verbal Virtue Is Rewarded, Crimes Against the Language Are Punished, and Poetic Justice Is Done, page 306
  5. ^ Groening, Matt (1997). The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family", page 122.
  6. ^ "Man Won't Stop Coming Up With New Sniglets" reprinted in Siegel, Robert (2002). The Onion Ad Nauseam: Complete News Archives, Volume 13, page 200. (online)

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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