whatifery
n.— «I am glad that my hon. Friend has admitted what I believe was going through many of our minds—that we are baffled by the Minister’s explanation of what the clause is trying to do. I am certainly baffled. I suppose that the opposite of “whatifery’” is anecdotalism. I shall therefore go for anecdotalism, because at least that provides me with a firm example.» —“Planning and Compulsory Purchase (Re-committed) Bill” by Andrew Turner House of Commons Standing Committee A (United Kingdom) Oct. 14, 2003. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
What’s up with ketchup? The shifting history and spelling of the name of this condiment. For centuries, ketchup was a fishy sauce originating in Asia—the tomatoes came only later! Plus, a new book shows what’s lost when a language dies: when there...
Sara in Camden, New Jersey, wants a word for those people who are more than acquaintances, but not quite friends. She calls them friendlies, but wonders if there’s a better term. Fracquaintance, maybe? The Danish band Mew has an album called...