The Hidden History Of Coined Words

Description

Successful word-coinages--those that stay in currency for a good long time--tend to conceal their beginnings. We take them at face value and rarely when and where they were first minted. Engaging, illuminating, and authoritative, Ralph Keyes's The Hidden History of Coined Words explores the etymological underworld of terms and expressions and uncovers plenty of hidden gems. He also finds some fascinating patterns, such as that successful neologisms are as likely to be created by chance as by design. A remarkable number of new words were coined whimsically, originally intended to troll or taunt. Knickers, for example, resulted from a hoax; big bang from an insult. Casual wisecracking produced software, crowdsource, and blog. More than a few resulted from happy accidents, such as typos, mistranslations, and mishearing (bigly and buttonhole), or from being taken entirely out of context (robotics). Neologizers (a Thomas Jefferson coinage) include not just scholars and writers but cartoonists, columnists, children's book authors. Wimp originated with a book series, as did goop, and nerd from a book by Dr. Seuss. Coinages are often contested, controversy swirling around such terms as gonzo, mojo, and booty call. Keyes considers all contenders, while also leading us through the fray between new word partisans, and those who resist them strenuously. He concludes with advice about how to make your own successful coinage. The Hidden History of Coined Words will appeal not just to word mavens but history buffs, trivia contesters, and anyone who loves the immersive power of language. Cover......Page 1 The Hidden History of Coined Words  ......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Dedication......Page 6 Contents......Page 8 List of Illustrations......Page 10 A Word with the Reader . . .......Page 12 I. How Words Are Coined......Page 18 1. Zen and the Art of Word Creation......Page 20 2. Coined by Chance......Page 33 3. Casual Coinage......Page 46 4. Just Kidding......Page 57 5. Prankery......Page 69 6. Taunt Terms: Euro......Page 84 7. Taunt Terms: U.S.......Page 93 II. Sources of Coined Words......Page 104 8. Coins in Bubbles......Page 106 9. Ink-​Stained Word Coiners......Page 119 10. Kiddie Lit......Page 128 11. Naming the Future......Page 140 12. Literary Lingo......Page 148 13. Ivy-​Covered Words......Page 162 III. Coinage Syndromes......Page 178 14. Coined with Intent......Page 180 15. Nonstarters......Page 196 16. Van Winkle Words......Page 209 17. Disputation......Page 223 18. Word Wars......Page 236 19. Coiner’s Remorse......Page 248 20. You Too Can Coin a Word......Page 261 Bibliography......Page 278 Notes......Page 288 Acknowledgments......Page 366 Illustration Credits......Page 368 Index......Page 372