Looking for a word
Wow, it's been a long time. I'm wondering whether I even want to keep up my membership payments here on LJ, considering I last posted back, what, four months ago? My social networking has largely migrated over to a place I can get away with quick, short blurbs rather than longer posts. You know, short, as in less than 150 characters. If you look for me, you can ID me as the last word of this journal's main title.
Anyway, a friend's post made me think of a word that should exist but (as far as I know) doesn't. We need a word for "item that nobody in their right mind would buy for themselves, but some people seem to think buying as a gift is a good idea." These tend to spring up on displays in department stores around the holidays, or in the impulse buy racks at convenience stores. You know the kind of things I mean? Giant size cigarette lighters. Toy bike-riding snowmen with spinning lollipops on their heads. Things like that.
The closest word in my vocabulary is "mathom," but I use it more in the sense of "item one buys, or receives as a gift, and keeps around indefinitely with the intention of giving it away to an unspecified recipient." (Points to whoever identifies the etymology.) This doesn't quite work in context. Suggestions please!
Anyway, a friend's post made me think of a word that should exist but (as far as I know) doesn't. We need a word for "item that nobody in their right mind would buy for themselves, but some people seem to think buying as a gift is a good idea." These tend to spring up on displays in department stores around the holidays, or in the impulse buy racks at convenience stores. You know the kind of things I mean? Giant size cigarette lighters. Toy bike-riding snowmen with spinning lollipops on their heads. Things like that.
The closest word in my vocabulary is "mathom," but I use it more in the sense of "item one buys, or receives as a gift, and keeps around indefinitely with the intention of giving it away to an unspecified recipient." (Points to whoever identifies the etymology.) This doesn't quite work in context. Suggestions please!