Friday 5 for February 14: What’s the word?

Hello, and welcome to this week’s Friday 5! Please copy these questions to your webspace. Answer the questions there; then leave a comment below so we’ll all know where to check out your responses. Please don’t forget to link us from your website!

When I wrote these, I meant for you to create your own words, but of course if you’d rather just use words already in existence, I’m not going to have you arrested.

  1. A portmanteau is a linguistic blend of words, as with “motor” and “hotel” becoming “motel,” or “breakfast” and “lunch” becoming “brunch.” What would be a good portmanteau to describe your mood today?
  2. An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase, usually using individual initial letters, as when “light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation” becomes LASER and “self-contained underwater breathing apparatus” becomes SCUBA. What’s a pronouncable acronym to describe a meal you had today?
  3. A backronym is a constructed phrase purporting to be the source of a word that is an acronym, as when (in elementary school) my classmates insisted KISS (the band name) stood for Knights Under Satan’s Service or that FORD (the name of the auto manufacturer) stood for Fix Or Repair Daily, or Found On Road Daily, and don’t get me started on SPAM. What’s a good backronym for the name of a street you traverse regularly?
  4. A demonym is a word identifying residents or natives of a particular place, usually derived from the name of the place, as “Californian” is a demonym for people from California, and “Iraqi” is a demonym for people from Iraq. What would be a good demonym for the people who serve you at a favorite establishment? *
  5. Onomatopoeia is the process of creating a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes, as when we describe a cat as saying “meow,” or a sack of flour hitting the floor going “thud.” What are some onomatopoiec words to describe sounds your body makes?

Thanks for participating, and have a C.O.O.L. weekend! **

* You know, like maybe they’re all Sexinese from Sexylvania, or Rudian from Rudeville.
** Considerably Outstanding, Outrageously Long. See how easy #3 is?

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