Wednesday, March 07, 2007

contrafibularities!

Blackadder: "Allow me to be the first to offer Dr. Johnson my most sincere contrafibularities! I am anaspeptic, frasmotic, even compunctuous to have caused him such pericombobulation."

The truly hilarious thing, of course, is that all those un-words very nearly mean something.

Contrafibularities: Obviously from contra, against, + fibula, the smaller of the two bones in the lower leg. Means 'pulling one's leg'.

Anaspeptic: From ana. back or up, + peptic, pertaining to the stomach. Obviously refers to some form of upchuck.

Frasmotic: Possibly a portmanteau word, frazzled + spasmodic. So frazzled that one goes into a spasm.

Compunctuous: A variation of compunctious, slightly influenced by contemptuous. Having a bad conscience because one has harmed somebody one really despises.

Pericombobulation: From peri-, around, + discombobulation. Disturbance and confusion because someone has been running circles around one.

Easy peas. Stephen R. Donaldson's rococo stylisms, by comparison, are downright hermeneutogenic.


Great Article! Super! :D

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