Portmanteaus
A little over 20 years ago, Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon published a brilliant acrostic in the New York Times on the subject of portmanteau words. Recognizing that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery – really and truly, in this case – we took a crack at constructing one as well.
As the quote from Sabine Eiche makes clear, the twenty years that have elapsed since the HEX puzzle have seen a rapid increase in neologisms of all sorts, including portmanteau words such as “shrinkflation.” The quote also acknowledges Lewis Carroll, and for good reason. In Through the Looking-Glass, Alice asks Humpty Dumpty about the meaning of “slithy,” a word she has just heard in the poem “Jabberwocky,” which appears in the story. Humpty informs her that “‘slithy’ means ‘lithe and slimy.’ ‘Lithe’ is the same as ‘active.’ You see it’s like a portmanteau – there are two meanings packed up into one word.”
Those of you willing to look carefully – and who have a forgiving nature – will find a portmanteau word in each of the twenty-four clue/answer pairs in this week’s puzzle. (Trying to arrive at a 100% thematic list proved particularly challenging here, as despite the many new formulations out there, portmanteau words are still pretty limited in number! ) To help you along, here are a few of the less obvious ones:
Clue A: “Splatter” = “splash” + “spatter”
Answer B: “Endorphin” = “endogenous” + “morphine”
Answer J: “Pinterest” = “pin” + “interest”
Clue T: “Stash” = “store” or “stow” + “cache”
Which others did you spot?
And if it has been a minute since you last crossed paths (swords?) with “Jabberwocky,” here’s a lovely rendition:
I did not spot A, B, and T, that you explained, but did spot the rest eventually. Mostly spotted the ones in the clues, some of the word answers I didn’t know. Not surprisingly, the first word I got was RICE-A-RONI. I did just finish Bill Gates’ autobiography “Source Code” in which he tells how the name Microsoft was conceived. He and his partner were busy creating ‘software’ for the new ‘microcomputers.’ Loved the quote and Lewis Carroll.
What a wonderful tribute to Cox and Rathvon to create another acrostic based on portmanteau words. Once you become aware of the existence of these words, you see them everywhere. It makes me wonder if a similar concept exists in other languages besides English.
Thanks in particular for the link to the YouTube video of Benedict Cumberbatch reading “Jabberwocky.” As people used to say of some actors, he (or she) could read the phone book and you’d still find it riveting. Also, the illustrations which accompany his reading are exquisite. It appears they are the original ones by John Tenniel.
FYI – here’s a link to the similarly-themed Hex acrostic from nearly 20 years ago:
– https://www.xwordinfo.com/Acrostic?date=10/2/2005
That was terrific.
So much fun! I spotted a few of the theme words in the clues and would tell you which ones if I’d opened this in a new tab…
and I am ashamed to admit this since I’m a lifelong Yankees fan but I did not know how to spell Graig Nettles’s first name. {hangs head} He was a joy to watch on the field.
Even discounting (possible portmanteau?) the tight and delightful theme, this acrostic is nigh on to perfect. It’s a great example of why these are my favorite puzzles. Stumbled through after minimal entries at first, and then, only through cross-referencing, was able to finish. Thanks for this!
Great quotation; wonderful (and deserved) tribute to your predecessors; and brilliant construction to get neologisms into all 24 clues.
Benedict Cumberbatch is an inspired reader. Sad to say, my wife and I sometimes forget his unusual last name, and we take a stab at it with “Cummerbund” or “Bandersnatch” (particularly appropriate here, given that “word” is one of the many inspired inventions in the brilliant poem he was reading).
Graig Nettles was a brilliant third baseman, and a reliable clutch hitter, with good power. He was an integral part of both Yankee championships teams in ‘77 and ‘78.
He was also one of the most quotable players in baseball:
[In the context of the late ‘70s Yankees, whose internal bickering earned them the sobriquet “the Bronx Zoo”]:
“When I was a little boy, I wanted to play baseball and also join the circus. With the Yankees, I’ve accomplished both.”
[When star reliever Sparky Lyle was traded]:
“Sparky Lyle went from Cy Young to ‘sayonara’”.
Had a good chortle while doing this acrostic during brunch with my labradoodle. Thanks for the edutainment! 🙂
A lovely acrostic. Growing up a Yankee fan, my career ambition was to play third base for them and my inspiration was Graig NETTLES. Alas, my skills were more verbal than physical and that dream died. I was delighted to learn of the existence of a creature called a WOOLPHIN, surely as exotic as a Jabberwock or a frumious bandersnatch.
I was sorry to miss the 9/7 acrostic while vacationing in Scotland, but this gem was a delightful welcome home.