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Can I Interest You in a Word Challenge?
Let’s take a moment to clear our heads of heavy topics and have some fun.
A friend sent me an old list of winners of “The Washington Post Mensa Invitational” that has been circulating the web.
There are two challenges.
1) Take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and then supply a new definition. For example: “inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late” and “caterpallor: The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you’re eating.”2) Supply alternate meanings for common words. Examples from that list are “Coffee: The person upon whom one coughs” and “Flabbergasted: Appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained.”
I challenge you to create your own words/definitions for medical related terms.
I gave it a try in my recent column, “What in the Word? A PH Take on the Post’s ‘Mensa Invitational’”. I came up with 6 words and definitions for each challenge. For example, in the first challenge I changed “hypertension” into Hopertension: Stretching hope as far as it can go. And changed “phlebotomist” into Phlebotopist: Someone who is so angry they can draw blood.
In challenge two I gave the following words new definitions. Angiogram: A message sent from heaven by an angel. And Perfusion: What it’s like to be in the presence of someone wearing too much cologne or perfume.
Think about it and share a word or definition that you create.
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20 Replies
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I accept your challenge, Colleen, but I’m going to have to cogitate upon it for a minute or three.
First response: “to cogitate” — To take apart a machine and put it back together, but have one cog left over and be unable to think of where it was supposed to have gone.
Brenda
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Ha, well done @brendad53! I was wondering if anyone was going to take me up on this challenge.
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Hehe, @brendad53, that’s too funny. I thought I had posted here last week and must have missed it. But I was thinking about this one.
@debbie, I love your POC reference.
What about cyanosis? Let’s do cyalosis– lips that are blue for lack of oxygen, aka blue lips.
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Portable oxygen concentrator is a person who walks from one point to another that has PH .
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LOL! Good one!
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Cardiopulmonary exercise rest = What you do after riding a stationary bicycle to the point of exhaustion so your doctor can check your lung function.
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Hemi-globin = when you have about half as much oxygen-carrying red blood cells as you ought to have
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Spirometry —> Spitometry == When you’ve taken a spirometry test and haven’t performed worth spit.
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@jenc, @debbie, @brendad53 you gals are awesome for playing along! I’m sipping on Starbucks and having a good laugh at the words you have all come up with.
@brendad53 “Spitometry” had me spitting out my coffee from laughing out loud!
@debbie your definition of “portable oxygen concentrator” also cracked me up. Spot on isn’t it?
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Hehe, love these ladies. @colleensteele you crack me up sippin’ your Starbucks and almost spitting it out after reading Brenda’s definition of “spitometry.
In challenge two, I thought of cannula- a dessert that’s light and full of air.
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Oooh, that’s a clever one @jenc! Maybe when you start your reality show, “PHarming with Jen” you can also offer recipes with unique and clever names like “cannula”. LOl!
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Hehe, @colleensteele, that idea sounds like a blast, maybe my new adventure, who knows? But if it were, of course, I would need my fabulous WW.
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Thanks for this wonderful subject – made me laugh. So…
How about – Osteopornosis – A degenerate disease.
Cashtration – The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financiallly impotent for an indefinite period of time.
Arachnoleptic Fit – The frantic dance performed just after you’ve accidentally walked through a spider’s web.
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LOL, @auntlizzie, great words you came up with! I especially love the cashtration, too funny.
But then again, the arachnoleptic fit is true of what I do try to kill a spider or if I even think I walked through one. Thanks for the laughs this morning.
I hope that you have a feel-good week, any plans?
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Now, what day is this? Oh yes, it’s Tuesday. Well my partner and I went out for Lunch to a particularly nice restaurant today. It’s part of a historic building. We shared the occasion with 2 friends. So nice to be out and about a bit. Best meal we’ve had for ages. Some ladies nearby were having a “high tea” with lots of lovely looking cakes etc – we plan to do that next time. Weather here in Sydney Australia is quite cold and there was a wood fire in the large old fireplace – so cosy. There must be a word for this but I’m too lethargic to think of one – sorry.
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One of my fantasies is having enough money to travel to Australia and NZ for a few months’ stay. Your description of having lunch in the old restaurant — I can almost feel the warmth of the fire! Makes me think of the Crosby, Stills & Nash song “Our House”: Staring at the fire, for hours and hours…..
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Hi @auntlizzie, I loved reading your description of your luncheon and the ladies enjoying a high tea. Those are always fun. You’ll have to let us know when you go and share how everything was. They usually offer finger sandwiches and tiny desserts to those I’ve been to.
So cray to think of a fire going there as it’s about 80 here, a heatwave for San Diego. However, it does sound like a cozy day for tea. My go-to is usually a yummy bowl of comforting soup on a day like that. What did you have for lunch?
I’m happy you could get out and enjoy your luncheon with friends. Thanks for sharing.
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Good ones @auntlizzie! I did an arachnoleptic fit just this morning when I woke with a spider on my arm! Now I have to deep clean the bedroom for fear it has siblings.
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Yikes!!!!!
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Oh no, @colleensteele sounds terrifying! I bet your room is spotless today. I hope you could get some sleep last night after that.
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