Those guys are going to run out of room in their dressers and refrigerators for all the t shirts and magnets.
--- In [email protected], "Randy Lee" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Ellen, > > > > Most SI winners aren't any smarter than you. They just spend time > figuring out how to best "play the game." > > > > I haven't entered much in the last few months (just been too busy), but > for this one, there'd be a basic technique I'm sure most followed: > > > > 1. Go through a dictionary (as long as you have the time for - > obviously you can't look at the whole thing) > 2. When you come to a word that has an ending that sounds amusing, > write it down, then see if there's another amusing word that starts > somewhere near the ending of the word. > 3. See if you can think of a definition that incorporates both > words, and maybe has a pun in it to boot. > > > > I can guarantee there were plenty of base words those submitters didn't > know either (that just sounded funny), before breaking out Mr. Webster. > > > > Some of the SI "Losers" spend HOURS every week on this. It's really > more (a) figuring out HOW to start, (b) putting in some TIME to look for > something funny, (c) coming up with an ANGLE (usually a pun), and > rewriting (usually tightening & shortening - "brevity is the soul of > wit"). > > > > Every contest is different, of course. And yes, there are definitely a > handful of Losers I'd put in the genius category (Russ Beland, Chris > Doyle, Brendan Beary, Kevin Dopart, and of course Chuck Smith -- plus > Jennifer Hart if she ever started entering again). But even they have > to work at it, most of the time. > > > > Randy > > > > ________________________________ > > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of David Patch > Sent: Monday, July 14, 2008 4:58 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [wc] Re: Style Invitational winners... > > > > --- In [email protected] > <mailto:weingartenchatters%40yahoogroups.com> , "Ellen" > <ellengoodman6@> > wrote: > > > > are clearly WAY smarter than me. Today I learned 3 new words! > > sebum--the stuff that causes oily hair and skin (lovely, right?) > > threnody--an elegy > > dishabille--dressed casually or carelessly > > > > Funny thing, the contest was to create portmanteau words and someone > > created "yiddishabille," and I wasn't even sure if the original word > > was "dishabille" or "shabille"--that is how unfamiliar I was with it. > > I guess it's like "disheveled"? Shabille doesn't exist, so I figured > > it must be dishabille. This is why I don't enter this contest--I > > wouldn't stand a chance. More power to these people who are > > apparently experts in the field of obscure words. > > The opposite of dishabille is probably habille. It's a cognate for a > French word meaning the same thing. > > It may not be familiar to it, but it would appear to be derived from > the same linguistic root as "disheveled". > > David Patch > (Word Geek) >
