Krissa surprised me with the gift of Douglas Adams' 'The Deeper Meaning of Liff' last night - a book I've skimmed through a number of times but never really owned. Along with Blackadder producer John Lloyd, Adams took place names which were, in their opinion, being under-used, and put them to use describing objects and experiences for which there are not words.
Liff, itself a town in Scotland, has been pressed to mean 'an object or experience for which a word does not exist'.
The book elicits a range of responses, from the sort of 'ah-haaaa' reaction of realising that you are not the only one to have experienced something, to full belly laughs.
Anyway, after putting down this book and checking my Gmail inbox, I had the sudden impulse to coin a word of my own:
Culver vb. To receive an item of spam email which is trying to dupe you into believing you have won the lottery of some distant and foreign country, when you are in fact from that country, rendering the scam less than useless, and more than slightly amusing.
Example: WINNING NOTIFICATION.
BRITISH MEGA-LOTTERY AWARD FINAL NOTIFICATION.
We are pleased to inform you of the release today, the result of the BRITISH MEGA-LOTTERY INTERNATIONAL PROMOTION held on the 30TH
of FEBRUARY, 2005.
Your name and Email was entered as a dependent client with reference
number:EGL/429331247/03 and the batch number:72/50685/MMH.
{so on and so forth etcetera, hundreds of millions of dollars, blah blah blah}
Signed,
THE GREAT BRITISH LOTTERY CHANCELLOR
So "the 30th of February" might have been your lucky day, and still you refuse to believe...
I can't believe, with the level of cycnicism I was already levelling at this email, that I didn't notice the '30th of February'.
Heee.
The Meaning of Liff (and the sequel) are great books. I have some favourites myself. And a word I would like added myself as well.
I still wonder why the people caught by these fake lottery scams never wonder about the fact they never bought a ticket.
Hi there-- I found a comment that you made regarding E.E. Cummings' "next to of course god america i" poem on a forum website (http://www.erzsebel.com/clock/clockarchives/002846.html). I am doing a research project for my English class that requires that we explicate a poem using literary criticism from reputable sources. Unfortunately, there isn't much literary criticism on Cummings' poem out there. I was very impressed with your interpretation, and if you wouldn't mind, did you discover the allusions to ancient Rome by yourself, or would you be able to cite something?
Thank you so much! I would appreciate your immediate response if you could please reply on your blog or in the guestbook of mine.
Well, I must thank you for clarifying that with me! Kudos, though, for at least b.s.ing intelligently- I certainly hope that girl didn't use your interpretation in her report! Cheers!
But damn, if I don't want to be the "Great British Lottery Chancellor" when I grow up! That's some job title.
Tell me about it!
Um, if anyone's a little confused about Annie's comments...I could explain, but it's easier to just say it doesn't matter.
Have a cup of tea, or something. That'd be nice.