Dan Scott noted:
> I certainly enjoy reading all the 'commentates' on the subject—back
> formation grows strange fruit.
Then you might also be amused to note that "boxen" shows up about
as often as "boxes" as the plural of "box" in the hackish dialect.
And "Vaxen" is used way more often than "Vaxes". We have a lot of
fun with plurals. ("Spice" as the plural of "spouse" doesn't appear
as often, but it's a fun convergence of meanings, no?) We also
sometimes use the word "pessimal" (which I figure has to be a "real"
word because it makes sense to native speakers and follows rules of
word construction despite being a back-formation, but I've never
heard it outside of hackerdom) as an antonym for "optimal". A "bogon"
is the notional particle of bogosity (bogus-ness), OR a single bogus
statement or meme.
If this type of language play amuses you, check out The New Hacker's
Dictionary (available on several websites as well as on paper) for
examples that people use in ordinary conversation, not just when
trying to be silly.
-- Glenn
