Word cocktails: verbiage with a twist
One day, a while back, someone told me that I was Web 2.0 savvy.
Words and phrases — many attributable directly to Web 2.0 — trickle into the mainstream. We google, we twitter, we facebook. ‘Dot com’ is a noun.
Then there are family words. I’ve written about this before. My son used to say “pick me up” and “pick me down.” We put sprinkle cheese on pasta and ate fishy crackers for snacks.
The other category would be words that come out of nowhere but are creative, meaningful and actually useful. Those are the ones you hope make into the dictionary one day, or at least into everyday conversation.
Yesterday I got an email from my BFF. That’s not news, we email throughout the day, every day almost. Most emails contain a meaningful subject line…like “morning ramble” or today’s was “surprise” (broken pipe in her house) and often it’s “ugh” or “aargh.” Other times, ok many times, we rant. Major rants and mini rants get equal billing in my book. But yesterday’s mini rant from the BFF got special attention. Why? Because she coined a word.
Rantini
It’s perfect isn’t it? It’s better than saying mini rant or small complaint or You can have it on the rocks, with or without olives, in person, through email, on the phone, via text…a rantini simply rules. And it’s calorie free!
She even provided an example (lest I use it incorrectly)
Ex: “I just finished my rantini and thank you for listening.”
Stir it and use it as you wish.
Just remember that it came from my unlinkable, yet very fashionable and photogenic, BFF.
What are your favorite new or made-up words. Where and how do you use them?
Senior Prom 1982
LOVE the picture and the word. I will use. I also just heard this one, coined by Victoria Mason on my oxy-moronic mommy blogger business trip: blogference. Good, huh?
Like they say, a picture’s worth a thousand words! If it’s not already taken, I think I’ll throw my hat in the ring for “blogalicious!” Meaning: great blog. In a sentence it would read, “Amy’s blog is blogalicious!”
Oh yeah, I am SO using that! DEFINITELY!
She’s brilliant!
Too many to list. In fact, the made-up words may soon overtake the standard English usage ones. Love rantini (but pictured food, like tortelini, natch, instead of the drink).
LOVE the pic! Super cute!
My favorite made up words are verimost, romantical, rockstar (used as an adjective) and ginormous! LOL! And I use them in my YA fiction.
If I didn’t have a bff to rant to via email, I’d probably off myself ten times a month. Love the “rantini!”
I was going to say ginormous too! It WILL be in the dictionary some day.
I love the rantini- I’ll have to remember that.
Love this post, Amy – I am going to try to keep all my rants the size of a rantini. That’s a great twefinition – which should have ginormous (rhymes with rye-normous!) appeal and soon you’ll be seeing it everywhere. Thank you for this blog. Definitly blogalicous. And hang in there, girl–see you on Facebook and Twitter! @coveyduck