Wanted Words 2: From Armajello to Yawncore, More Language Gaps Found and Fixed

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Of all the languages in the world, English has the largest vocabulary,
but Canada’s Pharaoh of Words, Jane Farrow, does not want to stop
there. Farrow wants people to invent words for things that exist but for
some reason have gone unnamed. What, for example, do you call that saggy
underside of some people’s upper arms? How about armajello? Or the
pendularm, armlobe, batwing, bisag, custom droopery, armwattle, udder
arm? Or what do you call it when people try to hide holes in the wall or
stains on the rug by rearranging the furniture—usually just before
company arrives. Farrow suggests a fakeover. Or cosmetic purgery,
decoflage, feign shui, hidey-up, placelift, messquerade, renofake,
sneaky clean, switchcraft, ulterior design.

These “wanted words” were sent to Farrow by listeners of CBC’s
“This Morning” program. Every week, Farrow challenges listeners to
come up with a word that fills a void in the English language. For
example, what do you call someone who speeds up when you try to pass his
or her car, or the unsightly snarl of cables and wires behind a computer
terminal? Some of the responses deserve to go straight into the English
language, such as “lastard” (someone who refuses to refill a toilet
roll dispenser) or “grosseries” (food that has been left in the
refrigerator too long).

Farrow’s first book, Wanted Words, was a Canadian bestseller and this
second volume promises to repeat the performance. If you like witty
wordplay, this book is a must-have.