Sniglet
Encyclopedia
Sniglet is a neologism, popularized by comedian/actor Rich Hall
during his tenure on the 1980s HBO
comedy series Not Necessarily the News
. Each episode of the monthly series featured a regular segment on sniglets, which Hall described as "any word that doesn't appear in the dictionary, but should". Hall's own sniglets, along with submissions by fans, were compiled into several books, starting with Sniglets and More Sniglets.
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 (blend
), (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.
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 and Word Court: Wherein Verbal Virtue Is Rewarded, Crimes Against the Language Are Punished, and Poetic Justice Is Done respectively. More recently, the idea has been "borrowed" by Barbara Wallraff for her new book Word Fugitives: In Pursuit of Wanted Words, where "word fugitives" is her term for invented words. Wallraff's Atlantic Monthly column "Word Fugitives" features words invented by readers, although they must be pun
s, which many sniglets are not.
Sniglets 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
". Additionally, Dale Gribble
on King of the Hill
explains away his inappropriate laughter at his successfully sabotaging Bill Dauterive
's new relationship by saying "just remembered a funny sniglet!" in the episode "Untitled Blake McCormack Project" (2008). The Onion
published an article in 2001 mocking Sniglets as an obscure fad.
.
Humor writer Paul Jennings
had published made-up meanings of real place-names in a 1963 essay appearing
in The Jenguin Pennings. Author Douglas Adams
, while travelling with British comedy producer John Lloyd
, suggested they play a game he had learned at school in which players were challenged to make up plausible word definitions for place names taken from road maps. The definitions they came up with were later incorporated into a 1983 book, The Meaning of Liff
. When the format of Lloyd's satirical TV show Not the Nine O'Clock News
was sold to America to become Not Necessarily the News, the producers also took the made-up word definition concept, which became Sniglets.
Rich Hall
Richard "Rich" Hall is an American comedian, writer and musician.-Early life and career:Hall was born in Alexandria, Virginia and grew up in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He is part Cherokee Indian...
during his tenure on the 1980s HBO
Home Box Office
HBO, short for Home Box Office, is an American premium cable television network, owned by Time Warner. , HBO's programming reaches 28.2 million subscribers in the United States, making it the second largest premium network in America . In addition to its U.S...
comedy series Not Necessarily the News
Not Necessarily the News
Not Necessarily the News was a satirical sketch comedy series that ran on HBO from 1983 to 1990. It featured sketches, parody news items, commercial parodies, and humorous bits made from overdubbing or editing actual news footage. It was based on the British series, Not the Nine O'Clock News...
. Each episode of the monthly series featured a regular segment on sniglets, which Hall described as "any word that doesn't appear in the dictionary, but should". Hall's own sniglets, along with submissions by fans, were compiled into several books, starting with Sniglets and More Sniglets.
Origins
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, 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 (blend
Blend
In linguistics, a blend is a word formed from parts of two or more other words. These parts are sometimes, but not always, morphemes.-Linguistics:...
), (2) spelling change (altering a word related to the definition), (3) pure nonsense word
Nonsense word
A nonsense word, unlike a sememe, may have no definition. If it can be pronounced according to a language's phonotactics, it is a logatome. Nonsense words are used in literature for poetic or humorous effect. Proper names of real or fictional entities are sometimes nonsense words.-See...
, or (4) a "take-off on a well known product" (a spelling change to a trademark). However, any method was acceptable.
Sniglets and society
In a 1990 interview, Hall was asked if the "Sniglets books [were] completely for comic value?" He answered,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
Richard Lederer
Richard Lederer is an American author, speaker, and teacher best known for his books on word play and the English language and his use of oxymorons...
and Barbara Wallraff have noted sniglets in their books, The Miracle of Language and Word Court: Wherein Verbal Virtue Is Rewarded, Crimes Against the Language Are Punished, and Poetic Justice Is Done respectively. More recently, the idea has been "borrowed" by Barbara Wallraff for her new book Word Fugitives: In Pursuit of Wanted Words, where "word fugitives" is her term for invented words. Wallraff's Atlantic Monthly column "Word Fugitives" features words invented by readers, although they must be pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
s, which many sniglets are not.
Sniglets also are a popular subject of satire. Homer Simpson
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
, a character on the animated series The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, 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
Homer Goes to College
"Homer Goes to College" is the third episode of The Simpsons fifth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 14, 1993. In the episode, Homer's lack of a college degree is revealed and he is sent to Springfield University to pass a nuclear physics class...
". Additionally, Dale Gribble
Dale Gribble
Dale Alvin Gribble is a fictional character in the animated series King of the Hill. and is voiced by Johnny Hardwick . He is an exterminator, bounty hunter, smoker, gun fanatic, and paranoid believer of almost all conspiracy theories and urban legends...
on King of the Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
explains away his inappropriate laughter at his successfully sabotaging Bill Dauterive
Bill Dauterive
Bill Dauterive, born Gillaume Fontaine de la Tour D'Haute Rive is a fictional character on the Fox animated series King of the Hill...
's new relationship by saying "just remembered a funny sniglet!" in the episode "Untitled Blake McCormack Project" (2008). The Onion
The Onion
The Onion is an American news satire organization. It is an entertainment newspaper and a website featuring satirical articles reporting on international, national, and local news, in addition to a non-satirical entertainment section known as The A.V. Club...
published an article in 2001 mocking Sniglets as an obscure fad.
Origins
Many sniglets are portmanteau words, a comedic style often traced to Lewis CarrollLewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
.
Humor writer Paul Jennings
Paul Jennings (UK author)
Paul Francis Jennings was a British humourist. He mostly wrote short articles; his most famous collection is The Jenguin Pennings, published in 1963 by Penguin books ....
had published made-up meanings of real place-names in a 1963 essay appearing
in The Jenguin Pennings. Author Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
, while travelling with British comedy producer John Lloyd
John Lloyd (writer)
John Hardress Wilfred Lloyd CBE is a British comedy writer and television producer. He is the great nephew of John Hardress Lloyd.-Early life and career:...
, suggested they play a game he had learned at school in which players were challenged to make up plausible word definitions for place names taken from road maps. The definitions they came up with were later incorporated into a 1983 book, The Meaning of Liff
The Meaning of Liff
The Meaning of Liff is a humorous dictionary of toponymy and etymology, written by Douglas Adams and John Lloyd, published in the United Kingdom in 1983, and the USA in 1984....
. When the format of Lloyd's satirical TV show Not the Nine O'Clock News
Not the Nine O'Clock News
Not the Nine O'Clock News is a television comedy sketch show which was broadcast on BBC 2 from 1979 to 1982.Originally shown as a comedy "alternative" to the BBC Nine O'Clock News on BBC 1, it featured satirical sketches on current news stories and popular culture, as well as parody songs, comedy...
was sold to America to become Not Necessarily the News, the producers also took the made-up word definition concept, which became Sniglets.
Books and more
Rich Hall released several volumes of collected sniglets, illustrated by Arnie Ten:- Sniglets (snig' lit: any word that doesn't appear in the dictionary, but should) (1984) ISBN 0-02-012530-5
- More Sniglets (1985a) ISBN 0-02-012560-7
- Unexplained Sniglets of the Universe (1986) ISBN 0-02-040400-X
- Angry Young Sniglets (1987) ISBN 0-02-012600-X
- When Sniglets Ruled the Earth (1989) ISBN 0-02-040441-7
- Sniglets for Kids (Sniglets Collector Sticker Books) (1985b) ISBN 0-89954-397-9
- Game of Sniglets (1990)
- Sniglet a Day - 1994 Calendar (1993) ISBN 0-8362-7379-6
Sniglets examples
- Toastaphobia: The fear of sticking a fork in a toasterToasterThe toaster is typically a small electric kitchen appliance designed to toast multiple types of bread products. A typical modern two-slice toaster draws anywhere between 600 and 1200 W and makes toast in 1 to 3 minutes...
even when it's unplugged. - Adam 69: Two police carsPolice carA police car is a ground vehicle used by police, to assist with their duties in patrolling and responding to incidents. Typical uses of a police car include transportation for officers to reach the scene of an incident quickly, to transport criminal suspects, or to patrol an area, while providing a...
, parked next to each other, facing opposite directions, in such a way that the drivers' side doors are only inches from each other, allowing the officers to chat with each other while waiting for a traffic violationMoving violationA moving violation is any violation of the law committed by the driver of a vehicle while it is in motion. The term "motion" distinguishes it from other violations such as parking violations, equipment violations, or paperwork violations relating to insurance, registration, inspection, etc.-...
to happen. - Anniversorry: The act of buying presentsGiftA gift or a present is the transfer of something without the expectation of receiving something in return. Although gift-giving might involve an expectation of reciprocity, a gift is meant to be free. In many human societies, the act of mutually exchanging money, goods, etc. may contribute to...
, especially diamondsDiamond (gemstone)A diamond is one of the best-known and most sought-after gemstones...
, to make up for a forgotten anniversaryWedding anniversary-Official recognition:In the Commonwealth realms, one can receive a message from the monarch for 60th, 65th, and 70th wedding anniversaries, and any wedding anniversary after that...
. - Sark: The marks left on one's ankle after wearing tube socksSockA sock is an item of clothing worn on the feet. The foot is among the heaviest producers of sweat in the body, as it is able to produce over of perspiration per day. Socks help to absorb this sweat and draw it to areas where air can evaporate the perspiration. In cold environments, socks decrease...
all day. - Pre-autoistic McConsumption: The tendency to start eating your french friesFrench friesFrench fries , chips, fries, or French-fried potatoes are strips of deep-fried potato. North Americans tend to refer to any pieces of deep-fried potatoes as fries or French fries, while in the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, long, thinly cut slices of deep-fried potatoes are...
in the car on your way home. - Idiot Box: The part of the envelope that tells a person where to place the stampPostage stampA postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
when they can't quite figure it out for themselves. - Ancinemation: The curious act of waiting in line to see a movie and watching exiting movie goers' reactions to see if they liked the movie or not.
- Downpause: The split second interruption of rain as you drive your car under a bridge.
- Lactomangulation: Manhandling the "open here" spout on a milk carton so badly that one has to resort to using the "illegal" side.
- Televator: The rolling line on a TV when the Horizontal hold isn't adjusted.
- Alcolean: The point just before a drunk person starts to stumble.
- Cinemuck: The sticky substance on the floor of a movie theater.
- Nerkle: Someone who leaves their Christmas lights/decorations up all year.
- Doork: A person who tries to enter through a door clearly marked 'Exit'.
- Magnacarta: The lonely car in lot that always attracts shopping carts
- Idiolocation: The spot on the map marked "You are here."
- Icealanche: The avalanche of iceIceIce is water frozen into the solid state. Usually ice is the phase known as ice Ih, which is the most abundant of the varying solid phases on the Earth's surface. It can appear transparent or opaque bluish-white color, depending on the presence of impurities or air inclusions...
that occurs when a glass or cup is tipped up to drink the last of the liquid. - Musquirt: The yellow-colored liquid water that condenses on the top surface of a refrigerated mustardMustard (condiment)Mustard is a condiment made from the seeds of a mustard plant...
squeeze bottle.
See also
- DaffynitionDaffynitionA daffynition is a pun format involving the reinterpretation of an existing word, on the basis that it sounds like another word . They are similar to transpositional puns, but often much less complex and easier to create.Some daffynitions may be puns...
- The Meaning of LiffThe Meaning of LiffThe Meaning of Liff is a humorous dictionary of toponymy and etymology, written by Douglas Adams and John Lloyd, published in the United Kingdom in 1983, and the USA in 1984....
- Neologism
- Wiktionary's list of protologisms
- JabberwockyJabberwocky"Jabberwocky" is a nonsense verse poem written by Lewis Carroll in his 1872 novel Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, a sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland...
External links
- Additional Sniglet Examples
- Arnie Ten official website
- The Pseudodictionary, "The dictionary for words that wouldn't make it into dictionaries." A collection of user-submitted neologisms.
- Unwords.com A collection of made-up words and definitions created by everyday people, out of necessity or for humor.