We moved to LA in `963 and listened to Gary Owens on KMPC. When our children were born we gave them silly nicknames. Our son Dan became Daniel the cocker spaniel. Our daughter Eve became Evious the Insegrevious. Another use of that crazy word.
Maven, this sounds like material for a Greg Pliska limerick!
There once was a woman named Evious...
We collected a stray kitten once who was very mean. I started calling him Evil Knitten. Obviously, I was naming him after the recently late motorcycle daredevil, Evil Kneivel.
I think it would be neat if Owens were to create an ad hoc pseudo-etymology for the word. I wonder what it would be.
in- (not) + se (itself) + grev- (???) + -ious (adjectival suffix)
in- (not) + segre- (???) + vi- (way) + -ous (adjectival suffix)
Heck, I don't know! How 'bout it, G.O.?