The Washington Post sponsors an annual contest in which readers take any English word, alter it by one letter, and come up with a new definition. Here are some of my favorites:
Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it. Caterpallor: The color you turn after finding half a worm in your apple.
The Post also asks readers to supply alternate meanings for common words. For example:
Coffee: The person upon whom one coughs. Flabbergasted: Appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained.
The Grammar Gourmet thinks we need a local version of this word-play exercise. Please send me your entries for 1) slightly altered words with new definitions, and 2) alternative definitions for commonly used words.
I'll get us started:
Texington: The area of our town where the highest percentage of people wear 10-gallon hats. Equine: Grape-based alcoholic beverage for horse-lovers. Pentucky: Nickname for the state with more great writers per square mile than any other.
Send along your Kentucky words and definitions. I'll pick a winner, publish it, and send the creator a signed, hardcover copy of my book, VoiceMale, for the holidays.
Neil Chethik, aka the Grammar Gourmet, is executive director at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning (www.carnegieliteracy.org) and author of FatherLoss and VoiceMale. The Carnegie Center offers writing classes and seminars for businesses and individuals. Contact Neil at neil@carnegie literacy.org or (859)254-4175.