Portmanteaux

arjaybe · 07-13-2022, 12:34 PM

From the Free Dictionary:

Quote:

port·man·teaus or port·man·teaux (-tōz, -tōz′)
1. A large leather suitcase that opens into two hinged compartments.
2.
a. A word formed by merging the sounds and meanings of two different words, as chortle, from chuckle and snort. Also called portmanteau word.

Let's see how many portmanteaux we can find. I'll start.

Most of us have heard of ginormous, a portmanteau of gigantic and enormous. And most of us have heard of humungous, a made-up word combining huge with mungous, which I don't think appears anywhere besides in humungous. Well, recently I heard someone say, while being interviewed on the news, gimungous, which is a portmanteau of a portmanteau (ginormous) and a made-up word (humungous.)

note: I will admit if pressed that the "gi" in gimungous could be from gigantic, but that wouldn't be as much fun.-)

Okay, go.

Uncle Robin · 07-13-2022, 12:37 PM

Let's not forget the inventor of the word - Carroll called them portmanteau words, not portmanteaux, and The Hunting of the Snark is full of them. I use "frabjous" very frequently.

DNSB · 07-13-2022, 06:45 PM

My favourite is brunch.

allanahk · 07-13-2022, 06:53 PM

How about spork?

guanaco · 07-13-2022, 07:04 PM

On the border between California, U.S.A. and Baja California, Mexico, there are examples of portmanteaux. There are the cities of Calexico, Calif. and Mexicali, B.C., whose names come from the words "California" and "Mexico". Another example is Spanglish, the language that many people speak along the Mexico-U.S.A. border.

BetterRed · 07-13-2022, 09:47 PM

automagic, sometimes dastardly so

"rearrived from North Armorica on this side the scraggy isthmus of Europe Minor to wielderfight his penisolate war" - Joyce, Finnegan's Wake

5thWiggleWife · 07-13-2022, 09:51 PM

When a sleeping dog loudly passes wind and startles itself - Fartle

arjaybe · 07-14-2022, 01:24 AM

The smell of a college fraternity: fratulance.

DNSB · 07-14-2022, 03:10 PM

motel

arjaybe · 07-17-2022, 11:50 AM

Grouping the countries of Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg gave us Benelux.

DNSB · 07-17-2022, 04:42 PM

So far this thread has been craptacular.

arjaybe · 07-17-2022, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DNSB

So far this thread has been craptacular.

Is that your own?

BetterRed · 07-17-2022, 09:13 PM

watchdog

BetterRed · 07-18-2022, 04:23 AM

plugin

arjaybe · 07-18-2022, 01:02 PM

When Tanganyika and Zanzibar joined to make Tanzania.

07-13-2022, 12:37 PM	#2
Uncle Robin Diligent dilettante Posts: 3,417 Karma: 48736498 Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: in my mind Device: Kobo Sage; Kobo Libra H2O	Let's not forget the inventor of the word - Carroll called them portmanteau words, not portmanteaux, and The Hunting of the Snark is full of them. I use "frabjous" very frequently.

07-13-2022, 06:45 PM	#3
DNSB Bibliophagist Posts: 35,428 Karma: 145525534 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Vancouver Device: Kobo Sage, Forma, Clara HD, Lenovo M8 FHD, Paperwhite 4, Tolino epos	My favourite is brunch.

07-13-2022, 06:53 PM	#4
allanahk Connoisseur Posts: 72 Karma: 2202292 Join Date: Nov 2018 Device: Kobo Libra 2	How about spork?

07-13-2022, 07:04 PM	#5
guanaco Recovering reader Posts: 222 Karma: 8008008 Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: México Device: iPad	On the border between California, U.S.A. and Baja California, Mexico, there are examples of portmanteaux. There are the cities of Calexico, Calif. and Mexicali, B.C., whose names come from the words "California" and "Mexico". Another example is Spanglish, the language that many people speak along the Mexico-U.S.A. border.

07-13-2022, 09:47 PM	#6
BetterRed null operator (he/him) Posts: 20,572 Karma: 26954694 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Sydney Australia Device: none	automagic, sometimes dastardly so "rearrived from North Armorica on this side the scraggy isthmus of Europe Minor to wielderfight his penisolate war" - Joyce, Finnegan's Wake

07-13-2022, 09:51 PM	#7
5thWiggleWife I’m a Happy Boy! Posts: 12,791 Karma: 96828311 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Evil Canada (goatees ya know) Device: iPad 2017, Acer A500, Kobo Glo, iPad mini	When a sleeping dog loudly passes wind and startles itself - Fartle

07-14-2022, 01:24 AM	#8
arjaybe Wizard Posts: 1,002 Karma: 12012526 Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Canada Device: Sony PRS-650	The smell of a college fraternity: fratulance.

07-14-2022, 03:10 PM	#9
DNSB Bibliophagist Posts: 35,428 Karma: 145525534 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Vancouver Device: Kobo Sage, Forma, Clara HD, Lenovo M8 FHD, Paperwhite 4, Tolino epos	motel

07-17-2022, 11:50 AM	#10
arjaybe Wizard Posts: 1,002 Karma: 12012526 Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Canada Device: Sony PRS-650	Grouping the countries of Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg gave us Benelux.

07-17-2022, 04:42 PM	#11
DNSB Bibliophagist Posts: 35,428 Karma: 145525534 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Vancouver Device: Kobo Sage, Forma, Clara HD, Lenovo M8 FHD, Paperwhite 4, Tolino epos	So far this thread has been craptacular.

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07-17-2022, 09:13 PM	#13
BetterRed null operator (he/him) Posts: 20,572 Karma: 26954694 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Sydney Australia Device: none	watchdog

07-18-2022, 04:23 AM	#14
BetterRed null operator (he/him) Posts: 20,572 Karma: 26954694 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Sydney Australia Device: none	plugin

07-18-2022, 01:02 PM	#15
arjaybe Wizard Posts: 1,002 Karma: 12012526 Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Canada Device: Sony PRS-650	When Tanganyika and Zanzibar joined to make Tanzania.