"fonted" = 'identified on screen'?

Laurence Horn laurence.horn at YALE.EDU
Tue May 20 14:15:49 UTC 2008


In a discussion of whether and when talking heads are identified by
nicknames rather than by their official first + last name when they
appear on television, Mike & Mike (on ESPN radio and television this
morning) were using "fonted" as a past participle, apparently because
the same guy who does the identification for their and other ESPN
shows is in charge of selecting the fonts in which the identification
is made.  So Mike Golic asked Mike Greenberg, in jest, whether the
latter had "ever been fonted as Greenie", the hypocoristic by which
he is often referred to verbally on their show.  (Did you catch this,
Alice?)  In a quick search on google, I wasn't able to find any other
instances of "fonted (as)" with this sense, so maybe it was a nonce
creation that will now disappear, but if not, you read it here first.

LH

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