leverite n. (also leaverite) a worthless stone or rock, especially one mistaken as being valuable. Editorial Note: Paul Dickson writes in Family Words (1998, p. 79), “Heaverite, according to Raymond J. Nelson of Cody, Wyoming, is a rock that, upon examination, is only good to ’heave ‘er right now.’ Geologist Davide Dattie of Spring Valley, Minnesota, reports Nebulite is a rock you cannot identify—a rock of unknown or nebulous origin.” Etymological Note: As explained in the citations, “leverite” is a jocular transformation of “leaver ‘er right (there).” The -ite suffix is used to form the names of minerals and of organisms found in fossils, among other things. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
The cardboard cylinder left after the last sheet of toilet, tissue, or wrapping paper comes off the roll has inspired families to make up a lot of names for the tube or the sounds you can make with it. These include oh-ah, oh-ah, drit-drit, dah-dah...
When Kentrell from West Memphis, Arkansas, worked for a granite company, his co-workers who were about to put two pieces of granite together would say I’m going to pull a seam. But why would they use the word pull for the action of pushing...
I find it fascinating how much fun
words can be and these examples are
an excellent demonstration of this.
Thank you.