Everything Is Eellogofusciouhipoppokunurious

The Word Collector — part 21

This is the latest in a series about new words and phrases collected during expeditions into the deepest, darkest literary and media wilderness, for your mirth, munificence, and magnanimity. Much of the modern world seems to pass me by, so please smile inwardly at my ignorance if some of these are known them already, though possibly not the first one!

Eellogofusciouhipoppokunurious –Since you are no doubt agog to know, having seen the title of this article, this is an American word of 30 letters no less, meaning “very good”.

It can be found in Wisen’s Dictionary of American Slang, printed in 1934. It appears to be American slang originating in the area of Nebraska, Oregon, and Massachusetts. It was probably formed as a portmanteau, by joining together two pre-existing words, though those must have been quite long words in their own right!

It would be a great word to drop into the conversation if you can work out how to pronounce it. So if you find you have accidentally invited an annoying and preternaturally erudite guest around for dinner, you may care to casually use this word.

If your guest professes ignorance, you may wish to adopt the tone of Mrs. Pearce, when she knows something that I don’t (which is not infrequent), as if dealing with a complete imbecile. To achieve effective mimicry, you may wish to put a slight emphasis on the word “that”, as in “Didn’t you know that?” As if it is incomprehensible that anyone walking the planet should not know the word.

Cheugy — this meme word is an American neologism, apparently first coined in 2013, as a pejorative description of lifestyle trends associated with the early 2010s. This aesthetic has been described as “the opposite of trendy” or “trying too hard”. Perhaps like parents trying to appear to be cool to highly critical teenage children. The term has been used positively by some who identify with the aesthetic. The word turned up in an invaluable guide on how to spot idiots -

Terroir — this word turned up in a review about a satirical Channel 4 TV programme about human meat which was widely discussed this week. It was possibly the most distasteful piece of broadcasting for some time, and there is competition for that honour.

So terroir is a French term used to describe the environmental factors that affect a crop’s phenotype, including unique environment contexts, farming practices, and a crop’s specific growth habitat. If you really want to know more about the awful programme, a review is below, though personally, I find it too positive!

Unshriven bugaboos

shrive — a verb meaning (of a priest) to hear the confession of, assign penance to, and absolve; to present oneself to a priest for confession, penance, and absolution. It turned up in the form “unshriven” in an “Observer” newspaper article about Putin, and I don’t think it was meant to be complimentary.

Bugaboo — an object of fear or alarm; a bogey. From the same “Observer” article about Putin.

Skeleton keys and stopped clocks

Moving swiftly on from unshriven bugaboos, here are some further specimens:

“….his empathy a kind of skeleton key, there to unlock even the most complicated human being”- this quotation appeared in an article by Rachel Cooke in “The Observer”, reviewing the recent excellent BBC television series “The Sixth Commandment”, which featured the brilliant actor Timothy Spall whom she was referring to. I love the idea of it being a skeleton key, a great turn of phrase.

Interiority — this word was used by an aspiring author in the recent “The Sixth Commandment” BBC mini-series, and means inner character; or subjectivity.

“human scaffolding” — this phrase appeared in an article in “The Observer” newspaper by Kiran Sidhu, writing about isolation, about how she used to surround herself with people when living in London, to avoid confronting truths about herself, that she can no longer do in rural Wales-

“Like a stopped clock” — a great description, by Stuart Lee writing in “The Observer” newspaper, of a hapless UK government minister, Robert Jenrick, who gets nearly everything wrong, but somehow manages to get two correct, like the proverbial malfunctioning horological device.

This may sound unkind, but this is the same minister who ordered Disney murals at a reception centre for asylum-seeking orphans to be painted over to prevent it being too welcoming, the “minister without heart” as he may now be known.

“Stagnation nation” — an apt description of the UK’s economic state, used by William Keegan in The Observer, quoting the Resolution Foundation on our fiscal fiasco following Brexit.

Sliding doors, goblins, and mouse droppings

The following was heard while listening to BBC Radio 4 on a long journey recently –

“Sliding doors moment” — this term refers to a moment in life when a small decision or action can have a profound and lasting impact on one’s future. It comes from the 1998 movie “Sliding Doors,”. In the movie, Helen Quilley, experiences two parallel versions of her life based on whether she catches or misses a train. In the documentary I was listening to the narrator narrowly avoided being caught up in a serious fire due to an apparently inconsequential decision about where to go on a particular day.

Goblin mode — is a neologism for the rejection of societal expectations in a hedonistic manner without concern for one’s self-image. While usage of the term dates back to 2009 with varying definitions, it is believed to have been brought into the mainstream in 2015 when UK-based screwball comedian Sam Jelbert noticed his friend Toby “going goblin mode” in a hotel room in New York City.

Sprinkles — in this context, these are small pieces of confectionery used as an often colourful decoration, or to add texture to desserts such as brownies, cupcakes, doughnuts, or ice cream. These have different names in different nations, so are sometimes referred to as “hundreds and thousands” and rather disturbingly in France are apparently known by a phrase, vermicelles en sucre, which the programme stated translates as sugared mouse droppings!

Bookkeeper — Yes, I know, not really a new word, even to me, but I discovered that this is apparently the only word in the English language that features three pairs of adjacent duplicated letters next to each other. You never know when these facts are going to be useful. Apparently, the only competition for this title comes from sweet-toothed, though this depends on whether the latter is written as a single word or not. I know: amazing, isn’t it?!

A never-ending war

The following specimens are all from the weighty tome “Vietnam — An Epic History of a Tragic War” by Max Hastings, which I am still wading through. It was borrowed from my local book exchange which may not get it back for some time, due to my pedestrian reading speed.

Sepulchral — — relating to a tomb or interment; gloomy; dismal.

Orthogonal — an adjective meaning of or involving right angles; at right angles; (of variates) statistically independent; (of an experiment) having variates which can be treated as statistically independent.

I hope you enjoyed this latest collection and do share any favourite new specimens of your own in the comments.

As always, thank you for reading.

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