40 years ago I had a psychology 101 class. The instructor said the symptom of making up your own words only the patient knows the definition of is neologisms. “Examples would be de-athenated, wallmationer, and sexiatry, except I think I know what that one is.”
I can’t help but think of the comic Norm Crosby with this comic strip today. He used to mess with the English language with comedy. Very funny the way his delivery was!
When he was little, my oldest grandson loved it when I used words he’d never heard before and would try to use them – often out of context. Expanding his vocabulary was great … except for his parroting of some words he shouldn’t have overheard!
This strip reminds me so much of him when he was that age. He’s turned out to be an exceptional young man. He’s 30 today, so ¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Allen! from “Gramps”.
How very ‘contubrius’ of him. My friends and I used that word all through high school, and it doesn’t mean a darned thing: “How very contubrius of you!” It could be either positive or negative, depending on context. Silly,that I still use it.
There was an episode on “The Simpsons” where the teachers were using words that weren’t words. I remember “promulent” and “embiggens”. As in the town motto: “A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man.” One teacher said she had never heard that word before moving to Springfield. The other said, “Really? It’s such a promulent word.”
C about 1 month ago
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
ꜝ about 1 month ago
even Roscoe knows that’s not a real word
carlsonbob about 1 month ago
Lots of words coming from Earl’s cranianul.
californiamonty about 1 month ago
Earl’s correct. The problem isn’t in making up new words, but rather in getting others to use them. (I majored in linguistics, BTW.)
Walter Kocker Premium Member about 1 month ago
“How . . . cromulent.” “’Right, Lisa?”
Martin I about 1 month ago
perfectly jellicle
Argythree about 1 month ago
:PPPP
MichaelAxelFleming about 1 month ago
Well, now he’s just being sedacious.
WaywardWind about 1 month ago
Sigh…neither of my grampas were funny.
oldthang about 1 month ago
I don’t remember the last time I said primulent.
kendavis09 about 1 month ago
Is that an adjitative?
iggyman about 1 month ago
There IS the comic censor!
Tra1nman2 Premium Member about 1 month ago
Why not? The pharmaceutical companies do it every time they introduce a new drug.
bobwigg761 about 1 month ago
Sounds like a Sniglet to me.
win.45mag about 1 month ago
It makes him feel imbiggened.
Funniguy about 1 month ago
Okay, how many of us looked up Primulent?
MacII about 1 month ago
I’m sure Earl is anaspeptic, frasmotic, even compunctious to have caused Nelson such pericombobulation
mckeonfuneralhomebx about 1 month ago
especially in scrabble
phritzg Premium Member about 1 month ago
It’s absitively, posolutely okay. (I’ve actually heard those words used, in an old radio commercial, and they were sung by a bass singer.)
some idiot from R'lyeh Premium Member about 1 month ago
That’s how words work, after all.
zeexenon about 1 month ago
Most of our C.E.O.s and politicians are of an age when, very early, they became enamored with antidisestablishmentarianism and schadenfreude.
Mountain Meg about 1 month ago
There’s no need for that word. Cromulent is a perfectly adequate word, and it fits perfectly.
E.Z. Smith Premium Member about 1 month ago
40 years ago I had a psychology 101 class. The instructor said the symptom of making up your own words only the patient knows the definition of is neologisms. “Examples would be de-athenated, wallmationer, and sexiatry, except I think I know what that one is.”
iggyman about 1 month ago
There a’int no such word!
mrsdonaldson about 1 month ago
Totally fetch.
Slowly, he turned... about 1 month ago
Earl is a regular Shakespeare!
wongo about 1 month ago
Well that’s just unlauded!
RussHeim about 1 month ago
Primulent is a perfectly cromulent word.
Angry Indeed Premium Member about 1 month ago
That Earl. He’s a muse. A muse for Dr. Seuss! Oh, the words I can make!
Intergalactic Hussy about 1 month ago
You mean cromulent. Better embiggen your vocabulary.
JudithStocker Premium Member about 1 month ago
I can’t help but think of the comic Norm Crosby with this comic strip today. He used to mess with the English language with comedy. Very funny the way his delivery was!
Daltongang Premium Member about 1 month ago
Nelson it’s the Covfefe thing to do these days.
ANIMAL about 1 month ago
ok……. ya LOST me on THAT one
assrdood about 1 month ago
I hate it when people use big words just to make themselves sound perspicacious.
Dr_Fogg about 1 month ago
Shakespeare made up words all the time
ladykat about 1 month ago
Go for it, Nelson.
khjalmarj about 1 month ago
I think the last time I used “primulent” was in the middle of a sneeze.
Ishka Bibel about 1 month ago
Shades of “cromulent”
w16521 about 1 month ago
Roscoe is like: “WTF”?
elgrecousa Premium Member about 1 month ago
it looks like Earl’s left side of the brain is working overtime.
Linguist about 1 month ago
When he was little, my oldest grandson loved it when I used words he’d never heard before and would try to use them – often out of context. Expanding his vocabulary was great … except for his parroting of some words he shouldn’t have overheard!
This strip reminds me so much of him when he was that age. He’s turned out to be an exceptional young man. He’s 30 today, so ¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Allen! from “Gramps”.
cactusbob333 about 1 month ago
Certainly a lot of fartilization going on here.
James -Baird about 1 month ago
The Presidential cantidate for on party has done it for the last nine years.
ThomasTracewell1 about 1 month ago
Primulent is a menopause pill.
Strawberry King about 1 month ago
Against the law? Oh, pish posh!
Thehag about 1 month ago
Had to look p up, just in case. Not a word but two companies with that name one in VA and one in the UK
FunnyPageLover about 1 month ago
Just in time for middle school to start with their weird, made up words - scibidi, gyat, rizz ….
PraiseofFolly about 1 month ago
How very ‘contubrius’ of him. My friends and I used that word all through high school, and it doesn’t mean a darned thing: “How very contubrius of you!” It could be either positive or negative, depending on context. Silly,that I still use it.
rob.home about 1 month ago
Cromulent, please!I made up the word ‘anfagastatillion’ to mean a very large number when I was a kid.
ValancyCarmody Premium Member about 1 month ago
Frindle
humorist54 Premium Member about 1 month ago
There was an episode on “The Simpsons” where the teachers were using words that weren’t words. I remember “promulent” and “embiggens”. As in the town motto: “A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man.” One teacher said she had never heard that word before moving to Springfield. The other said, “Really? It’s such a promulent word.”
Otis Rufus Driftwood about 1 month ago
Now that is cromulent.
Jack Bell Premium Member about 1 month ago
I don’t mind people making up new words. But I hate it when they want to change the meaning of words we already have.
Purple People Eater about 1 month ago
Of course you can make up your own words. How else are you going to embiggen your vocabulary?
[Unnamed Reader - 96ae98] 3 days ago
I’m pretty sure he meant to say cromulent.