Washington Post/Mensa New Word Contest

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In summary, the Washington Post and Mensa held a contest for readers to come up with new words by changing or adding a letter to existing words. The winners were announced and included words like "cashtration", "intaxication", "foreploy", and "karmageddon". The contest was similar to a monthly "neologism" contest run by Bob Levey, with past winners including "esplanade" and "willy-nilly".
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Apparently Mensa and the Washington Post put together a contest (that I wish I would have known about), and asked participants to change or add a letter to a pre-existing word and define their new word. Some of these are hilarious:

The winners are:
1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.
2. Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and an ***.
3. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.
4. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.
5. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
6. Foreploy: Any misrepresentation a bout yourself for the purpose of getting lucky
7. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
8. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
9. Inoculatte: To take coffee! intravenously when you are running late.
10. Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.
11. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
12. Karmageddon: It's when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, and then the Earth explodes, and it's a serious bummer.
13. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you
14. Glibido: All talk and no action.
15. Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
16. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.
17. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosqui t o, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
18. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.*********************
The Washington Post has also published the winning submissions to its yearly contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words. And the winners are:

1. coffee, n. the person upon whom one coughs.
2. flabbergasted, adj. appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained.
3. abdicate, v. to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4. esplanade, v. to attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. willy-nilly, adj. impotent.
6. negligent, adj. absentmindedly answering the door when wearing only a nightgown.
7. lymph, v. to walk with a lisp.
8. gargoyle, n. olive-flavored mouthwash.
9. flatulence, n. emergency vehicle that picks up someone who has been run over by a steamroller.
10. balderdash, n. a rapidly receding hairline.
11. testicle, n. a humorous question on an exam.
12. rectitude, n. the formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.
13. pokemon, n. a Rastafarian proctologist.
14. oyster, n. a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
15. Frisbeetarianism, n. the belief that, after death, the soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.

My favorites are reintarnation and esplanade.

(Sorry for no source, I grabbed it off of a blog, and the Post's search feature isn't working right now)
 
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Related to Washington Post/Mensa New Word Contest

1. What is the Washington Post/Mensa New Word Contest?

The Washington Post/Mensa New Word Contest is an annual competition that challenges participants to create new words that are clever, creative, and useful.

2. How long has the contest been running?

The contest has been running since 1983 and is open to anyone who can submit an original word and definition.

3. Who can enter the contest?

The contest is open to anyone, regardless of age or location, as long as they can submit an original word and definition.

4. How are the winners chosen?

A panel of judges from The Washington Post and Mensa International review all the submissions and select the top 10 words based on creativity, wit, and practicality. The final winner is chosen through a combination of online voting and judges' scores.

5. What do the winners receive?

The first-place winner receives a $500 cash prize and their word is published in The Washington Post. The top 10 words are also published in the newspaper and on the contest's website. Additionally, winners receive a year's membership to Mensa International and a commemorative trophy.

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