fanjinshi n.— «The central festival topic is named by a peculiar coinage-Fanjinshi, a portmanteau word made of the English “fanzine” and “dojinshi,” Japanese analogue of “Samizdat,” Russian word for an...
snoezelen n.— «In literature a multisensory environment is sometimes referred to as “Snoezelen,” derived from two Dutch words meaning “to smell” and “to doze.” This is mainly due to the fact that it was...
man date n.— «Although “man date” is a coinage invented for this article, appearing nowhere in the literature of male bonding (or of homosexual panic), the 30 to 40 straight men interviewed, from their 20’s to their 50’s...
vuzvuz n.— «Speaking of pejoratives, have you heard the term “vuzvuz” applied to Ashkenazim? Apparently derived from the frequent use of “vus? vus?” in Yiddish. I am not sure that there is any real insult attached...
Lollywood n.— «Pakistan’s film industry is often described as hapless. Dubbed “Lollywood” for its base in the city of Lahore, it doesn’t compare with the thriving art, literature, and music scene of this cultural hot spot in...
parergron n.— «When we apprehend the auditor’s mediating role, we have to reconnect the speaker’s main point (ergon) with what is beside the point (parergon), but the poem itself never confirms that our framing is accurate...