Good afternoon. Welcome to THE NEOLOGIST. Do you ever find yourself grasping for a word? A word that will not only describe precisely what you mean to say, but also dazzle the person you're speaking to with your brilliance and wit? A word that will immediately telegraph your utter intellectual superiority? If so, rejoice! The Neologist is here to help you with the soothing power of the German compound noun.
Sure, you could rely on old standbys such as Zeitgeist, Schadenfreude, or even Fahrvergnügen if you're looking to provoke the kind of thin-lipped smile that blooms reluctantly on the face of a person suppressing intestinal discomfort.
The German word for that would be
Höflichkeitsschmerzlächeln
n, hoif'-lick-kites-shmartz'-lek-keln
(courtesy pain smile)
But why use a word off the rack when you can
have one tailor-made exclusively for you?
Why not discover the pleasures of
Wortfindungsfreude
f, vort'-fin-doongs-froy'-duh
(the joy of word finding)
I invite you to send me a definition of the word you need
and I will create it for you, made to measure.
Let me give you an example:
Dear Neologist,
I have a strong tendency to overcommit myself due to excessive enthusiasm for my own ideas. Is there a German word for the decisions I make in this state?
---Frazzled in Fresno
Dear Frazzled in Fresno, you clearly suffer from
Enthusiamusbedingte Grenzsinnverzerrung
f, en'-too-zee-uss-moos-ba-ding-tuh Grantz'-zin-fer-tser'-oong
(enthusiasm-caused distortion of your sense of boundaries)
which leads you to commit the occasional
Überbegeisterungsfehltritt
m, oo'-bur-ba-guys'-tar-oongs-fail-trit
(a wrong step taken due to excessive excitement).
Begeisterung
f, buh-guy'-stir-oong
is, of course, the German word for enthusiasm,
literally meaning to be possessed of spirit.
And there you have it.
Please let me know your neology needs at [email protected]
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