Comments | coughingbear: Department of Made-Up Words

coughingbear

Department of Made-Up Words

Jan 04, 2006 12:01

From Charlie Connelly's Attention All Shipping (thanks to gramarye1971 for the rec):

Thomas Urquart of Cromarty, C17th translator of Rabelais, went in for made-up words. "'Amblygonosphericalls', 'extrinsecall', 'grediftal', 'bagrediffiu', 'pubkegdaxesh' and 'obliquangular', for example, all appeared in the space of one paragraph in his book Trissoetras, and ( Read more... )

words, books, scotland

Comments 8

(The comment has been removed)

thewhiteowl January 4 2006, 12:01:48 UTC

Hey, now...

*the girl with two Scots names and one Gaelic in the grandparents' generation*

coughingbear January 4 2006, 13:18:55 UTC

Well yes, he was a Scot. I don't think these particular made-up words were in his translation of Rabelais, but my only vague knowledge of said translation is that it gets discussed in a Robertson Davies novel, by a crazed character who is obsessed by having Thomas Urquart as his ancestor. In fact the scenes he's involved in may include quite a number of made-up words, aside from the extraordinary bit with the pink ribbon... maybe I'll have to re-read it.

ankaret January 4 2006, 04:41:40 UTC

I've definitely been in obliquangular rooms. Mostly in the Bristol University Students Union. The only explanation I can come up for some of the shapes on the floorplan is that someone was holding the plans upside down at a crucial moment.

Apparently they're now planning to knock it down and build one shaped like a large fiberglass ship instead, which I bet will have its own share of obliquangularity.

chickenfeet2003 January 4 2006, 04:50:29 UTC

I think "amblygonosphericalls" is the technical term for the missing bits of a castrato.

gramarye1971 January 4 2006, 05:28:00 UTC

It almost sounds like one of those bets you'd make with friends after one too many drinks -- my best friend once agreed to insert the words 'jelly doughnuts' into an essay she had to write on The Maltese Falcon for an English class at university.

(And I do hope you're enjoying the book. ^_^)

coughingbear January 4 2006, 13:11:05 UTC

I am indeed. I am a long-term shipping forecast addict (and got a big thrill last year when I heard it on a boat for the first time) and he comes up with some good stories. Particularly the part about Henry Blogg; the RNLI is such a wonderful institution.

ravurian January 4 2006, 05:31:54 UTC

I believe 'pubkegdaxesh' is actually a type-setting error. It should be 'pub keg dash', a phenomenon I have witnessed on several occasions. I myself am particularly partial to the word 'obliquangular' and shall be using it regularly from now on.

(Also, yes, I'm back in Russell Sq! ravurian AT hotmail DOT com...)

coughingbear January 4 2006, 06:12:02 UTC

So obliquangular is what pubs become after one too many pubkegdaxeshes?

Will email you about meeting for lunch - sadly I don't think I can make Thursday as have complicated arrangements to return housekeys to a friend who's been away.

(Trying again as lj wouldn't post this before. Sorry if you get it twice.)