Phrontistry is a fun little site (actually a fun gigantic site), a compendium of unusual (mostly) polysyllabic words.
One word I came across that bears some relevance to ongoing discussions:
Amphigory am'fi-ge-ree, n (French amphigouri, of unknown origin)
A nonsense verse. Specifically, a poem designed to look and sound good, but which has no meaning upon closer reading. The term 'amphigory' could be applied to large segments of modern poetry, except that its authors probably actually believe that what they are writing is something other than a meaningless trifle.
Some of us go on to amphiglory, I suppose.
But who is the glorious logogue, pray tell, to determine once and for all that a poem is truly amphigorious?
Accuse me of conphrontistry on this one, but this calls for serious logomachy!
By the way, I'm off for the weekend with my partner to Quebec City, to walk the cobbled streets, eat in a fabulous restaurant, stay in an 18th C. auberge, take in the Musee de Beaux Arts. A la prochaine!
2 comments:
Thanks for this link Brian. My favorite word there: Omphaloskepsis.
Yes, it's a good one. Enough to make your naval go "Omph!"
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