According to the Internet, I have become a prolific coiner of phrases. You can do a Google search on any of these gems and get all kinds of hits.
The Dilbert Principle
Dilbertian
Catbert
PHB
Rat Dance
Frooglepoopillion
Elbonian
Induhvidual
And more recently in this Blog, BOCTAOE and YSLE. If you haven’t been paying attention, those mean “But Of Course There Are Obvious Exceptions” and “You Stupid Lemon-Eater.”
On one hand, it’s fun to add words and phrases to the popular culture. But on the other, I can’t help feeling bad about bloating the overhead of an already wordy language. I’m worse than that guy who invented the phrase “on one hand, blah blah blah, but on the other hand blah blah blah.” I hate him. I also hate the guy who decided we should use three blahs when one would do nicely.
Inventing words feels hypocritical because I believe we should trim the existing supply of redundant and unpleasant words. I have my reasons. For example, some words are unattractive for the way they sound:
Talc
Moist
Cleaver
Spittoon
Then I’d get rid of words that no one can spell:
Toboggan
Broccoli
Picnicking
And when it comes to the following trio, I say we keep just one and get rid of the other two. I don’t care which one we keep. Having all three just begs trouble:
Their
There
They’re
Then I’d get rid of words that you can’t get out of your head after you hear them, such as Osso Bocu and Mary Steenburgen. (Mary herself can stay, but she must change her name.)