When I formed my publishing company (Portmanteau Press LLC), I was shocked and appalled that I received the following question from numerous people (my CPA, the lady at the bank, my mother!): what is a portmanteau? Now, I feel the need to educate people about this wonderful language device. Being that Derek’s blog is called “Vandalism of Words,” I felt this was an appropriate forum.
A portmanteau, in short, is when you take two words and squish them together to form a new word. For example, you have a meal that is halfway between breakfast and lunch? Brunch. You have an eating utensil that is a cross between a spoon and a fork? Spork. Very simple and easy to understand. But why is it called a portmanteau?
You can thank Lewis Carroll, one of my inspirations as a writer. A portmanteau, in English practice, was just a suitcase. It is, itself, a French portmanteau of the words porter (to carry) and manteau (a cloak or mantel). Carroll used the word in Through the Looking-Glass to explain some of his adjectives that described the Jaberwocky. Slithy combines lithe and slimy. Mimsy combines flimsy and miserable.
Modern media has taken portmanteaus to a level that is absolutely atrocious: celebrity name-combining. Brangelina (Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie) and Bennifer (Ben Affleck/Jennifer Lopez) are not clever portmanteaus. They are abominations and slights to clever wordplay masters that use the device properly. I cringe every time I hear one of these celebrity name portmanteaus and get a strong urge to kick a small animal (I resist!).
There are tons of words that are used in the English language now that many people probably do not even realize are portmanteaus: motel (motor/hotel), smog (smoke/fog), squiggle (squirm/wiggle), and gerrymander (Elbridge Gerry/salamandar). At the end of the day, I would guess that most people use a portmanteau word at least once or twice daily and do not even know what it is they are using.
Spread the word. Don’t let this lack of understanding continue. In closing, I have a question for you, dear reader: what is your favorite portmanteau word?
Today’s guest blogger: Jeremy Rodden. Author of Toonopolis Files.
Author of Toonopolis Files: www.toonopolis.com
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/toonopolis
On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/dp/0615457215/
Books By Derek Haines
Derek’s Vandal Blog
www.derekhaines.ch
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20 comments
Akhen1khan2 aka Jack Eason
28/06/2011 at 4:38 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
How about Dohickey or thingamabob. Nah , not really, just kidding lol
Jeremy
28/06/2011 at 5:09 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Aw, no, those are just pure nonsense words! How about a real portmanteau? My favorite is, obviously, Toonopolis (cartoon/metropolis).
Sherri McLain
28/06/2011 at 5:31 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
How about broccoflower? Is has the best of both veggies, sort of rolled into one.
Calophi
28/06/2011 at 5:42 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Chortle! Sexting! Pixel! Skort!
Jeremy Rodden
28/06/2011 at 5:55 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
@Sherri: I didn't know broccoflower was a real thing. Is it like a cross-breed or something?
@Calophi: Pixel is a really nice one. Skort? Well, at least you didn't go with jeggings…
Anne Drennen
28/06/2011 at 6:13 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Photojournalist;
Some of my favorite Twitter terms from Mashable.com http://mashable.com/2008/11/15/twitterspeak
dweet: tweet sent while intoxicated {that which I am certain Derek has never done!},
sweeple: sweet twitter people,
twaffic: Twitter traffic,
tweepish: feeling sheepish or regretful about something you tweeted {probably following a "dweet"}
twiking: biking while twittering via text.
tweetaholic: someone addicted to Twitter, so much so that it may be an actual problem, {Hey don't look at me; I have it completely under control!}
Jeremy Rodden
28/06/2011 at 6:47 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
@Anne: The Internet has been an awesome breeding ground for some kickass portmanteaus.
How about podiocast? It's a triple-portmanteau of iPod/audio/broadcast, the last of which is a compound word.
WORDS ARE FUN!
Susan
28/06/2011 at 8:59 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
I didn't know where gerrymandering came from – I had to look it up. Thanks for the article.
Jeremy Rodden
28/06/2011 at 9:19 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
I love learning about the etymologies of words. That's got to be one of my top 10 favorite portmanteaus.
ganymeder
28/06/2011 at 9:45 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
TomKat (Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes)… Just kidding!
Nicely entertaining and informative post. My favorite?
Hmmm,podcast (ipod/broadcast) maybe? Though I'm awfully fond of 'slithy'…
Anne Drennen
28/06/2011 at 10:40 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
How about this; a Mockumentary shot with a camcorder about two guys who have a fantabulous bromance & live in a ginormous motel room & carry murses. They are mathletes & speak Spangilsh for fun. While simulcasting & eating tangelo's on their way to jazzercise in their jeggings; they get carjacked by a frenemy who has moobs & rides a moped. It was on the Newscast following a sexpert & a commercial for pizzone's…. I could just go on procrasturbating about this forever!
Thanks to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_portmanteaus
Jeremy Rodden
28/06/2011 at 11:00 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
@Ganymeder: Slithy is a good one. Hard to try to top the man that coined the term portmanteau in the first place!
@Anne: +10 internets to you.
moondustwriter
29/06/2011 at 7:38 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Hmm it would have to be Moondustwriter
I'm just thrilled you have a publishing company Derek
Have at it
Lari
29/06/2011 at 7:45 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Here's one we get on the big island of Hawaii a lot.
Vog = Volcano + Smog
Derek Haines
29/06/2011 at 7:51 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Not me Moondustwriter! It's my guest blogger Jeremy Rodden. Now you'll have to add another sprinkle of moondust and congratulate him on his achievement.
Marcia Richards
30/06/2011 at 11:16 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
My favorite would be Chocoholic! Great post!
Patrick Neylan
15/07/2011 at 11:09 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
“Podcast” is a common, simple and effective one. “Webinar”, on the other hand is so wretchedly ugly it makes me cringe.
derek_mulhern
08/08/2011 at 10:10 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Nontroversy. Self explanatory, especially in this day and age…
derek_mulhern recently posted..Are Zombies Dead?
Phil soady
19/08/2011 at 11:54 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Funny, I thought originally you were referring to a bag or wallet.
Never heard of the term used to describe 2 merged concepts.
At least the original term hasn’t been totally destroyed.
Summer School Jobs
19/02/2012 at 6:14 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Never heard the term Portmanteau before, but realised I make up my own all the time for fun!
Jon.
Summer School Jobs recently posted..Teach English in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales this Summer!