Every summer one of my favorite events of the year occurs: The Washington Post's MENSA Invitational (MENSA is an international organization of people with exceptionally high IQ scores). The contest asks participants to choose any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and then to supply a new definition.
Here are some of my favorites:
Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and an asshole.Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.Bozone: The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down the near future.Foreploy: Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn’t get it.Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.Arachnoleptic Fit: the frantic dance performed just after you have accidentally walked through a spider web.
Although I can't think of any witty definitions off of the top of my head, I know of many smart and witty folks who can. What about you? Do you have any words to add to the list?
3 comments:
There actually is no "Mensa Invitational," but The Washington Post does have a wonderfully clever humor contest called The Style Invitational. And one Invitational contest from 1998 are the sources of some -- but not all -- of the neologisms in the list above. (For example, "arachnoleptic fit" isn't a one-letter change from "epileptic fit," is it? Or "caterpallor"?)
Much better to see the real thing -- every week at washingtonpost.com/styleinvitational. The Style Invitational is a weekly humor/wordplay contest with unbelievably clever humor contributed by thousands of readers. It's published every Saturday in The Post's Style (features) section, and every Friday afternoon at about 3:30.
The most recent results (Jan. 23, 2010) were for made-up homonyms or homophones. Among the winners:
Ho-maid: The role of a traditional wife.
Hi-deaf TV: Commercials.
S-cargo: Snail mail.
This weekend we'll have humorous poems about people who died last year.
You can see links to these contests and dozens of earlier ones at washingtonpost.com/styleinvitational. Or you can become a fan of "Washington Post Style" on Facebook (go to facebook.com/wapostyle ) and you'll get a link to the Invitational when it's posted. I hope you become regular readers and maybe even regular entrants.
Best,
The Empress of The Style Invitational
Pat,
Thanks for the additional information. I love the concept of the competition.
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