childfree

[Jonathan Lighter]

I thought of that, Larry, but then I realized somebody would have to know
history and some weird foreign language for it to resonate.

"Germ-free," "fat-free," and gluten-free" (not to mention "carefree") do
the job in English.

JL


On Thu, Jan 30, 2014 at 7:43 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: childfree
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 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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