childfree

Laurence Horn laurence.horn at YALE.EDU
Fri Jan 31 00:43:48 UTC 2014


On Jan 30, 2014, at 7:17 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:

> The Wackipedia article on CNN anchor Carol Costello remark (under "Personal
> Life") that "Costello is childfree."  Period.
>
> The word was featured on the cover of Time last summer, though there it
> modified "life" rather than a named person.
>
> In Wacki it means "having and wanting no children."  Contrast "childless."
>
> Fair enough, but the suffix "-free" in this case seems a little creepy.  As
> though to gloat, "Thank God I don't have any of those little brats!" (Cf.
> "germ-free.")
>
Or "Judenfrei".

LH

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