I absolutely loved reading all the brilliant entries to our recent Caboose competition – the one where we asked you to supply us with alternative meanings for the word ‘caboose’ – see previous blog. Now I’m delighted to discover that The Washington Post has been running similar neologism contests (in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words) for years! I came across the list of one year’s entries online, from back in 2007.

Here are my personal favourites from the list:

1. Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.

2. Esplanade (v.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.

3. Ineffable: adj., describes someone you absolutely cannot swear in front of.

4. Sudafed: A software program on how to file a civil action against the government.

5. Lymph (v.), to walk with a lisp.

To read the full list, click here.

Now I know I’ll be trawling their archives for more entries eg. just found another list from December 2009. Hours and hours of fun…

Chiara Priorelli, Publicity Manager