[Ads-l] Early WOTY candidate--"spermageddon"

[Laurence Horn]

Leaving aside the semantic transparency issue, “spermageddon” has two evolutionary advantages over “snowmageddon” or “sharknado” from a morphological point of view, viz. the phonological and orthographic overlap with -rm-. Such overlaps are always a plus with blends; cf. “motel”, “frappuccino”, “televangelist”, "sexploitation, “sexile”, “cremains” or, orthographically if not phonologically, “smog”.

LH

> On May 21, 2021, at 2:03 PM, Baker, John <JBAKER at STRADLEY.COM> wrote:
> 
> Well, on the model of “snowmageddon” a few years ago, it could be a perilous situation created by an excess of sperm.  Perhaps at an orgy?  At least, that was my first thought when I saw the term.
> 
> 
> John Baker
> 
> 
> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> On Behalf Of Jonathan Lighter
> Sent: Friday, May 21, 2021 12:05 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: Early WOTY candidate--"spermageddon"
> 
> External Email - Think Before You Click
> 
> 
> Without checking, it could be either the destruction of all sperm or the
> world destroyed by whales.
> 
> Worse than a sharknado.
> 
> JL
> 
> On Fri, May 21, 2021 at 11:50 AM Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu<mailto:laurence.horn at yale.edu>>
> wrote:
> 
>> What it sounds like.
>> 
>> Here’s a Times piece from February--
>> 
>> https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/20/opinion/sunday/endocrine-disruptors-sperm.html<https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/20/opinion/sunday/endocrine-disruptors-sperm.html>
>> --but it’s been increasingly popping up lately, including last night on
>> The Daily Show.
>> 
>> LH
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> 
> 
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
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