"The best word ever"

[Jonathan Lighter]

No "bamboozle" or "discombobulate"?

Some would opt for "tranquillity" or "catamaran," both of which are more
attractive than "diphthong," no matter how pronounced. Then there's
"boobalicious."

Besides, the notion that the best word ever has to be in English is rife
with supremacist assumptions.

JL

On Mon, Nov 26, 2012 at 10:50 AM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: "The best word ever"
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I demand a recount! Why was "hornswoggle" eliminated in the first round of
> the H competition?  I have a personal stake in the matter, since by rule
> only members of my extended family can function as subjects of this verb.
>  (And where was "phthisic" [pronounced "tizik"] in the P bracket?)
>
> LH
>
>
> On Nov 26, 2012, at 9:05 AM, David A. Daniel wrote:
>
> > I thought it was interesting, maybe y'all will too...
> >
> http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/09/here-it-is-the-best-wo
> > rd-ever/262348/
> > DAD
> >
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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