Macquarie Dictionary have on their website a Dictionary Wit competition. Every month, the 'Friends of Macquarie Dictionary'* are able to enter the competition with a witty definition of a word, taking after the great Dr Johnson, who was in the habit of making sarcastic gibes about the Scottish and others in his dictionary. (Johnson said of himself: "Lexicographer: a writer of dictionaries, a harmless drudge.") Several previous winners of Macquarie Dictionarie's competition can be found here. The definitions for 'defenestration', 'impotence', and 'politician' are particularly good.
Each month, one of the competition's entrants is given a print copy of the dictionary and declared a Witty Winner!
Well, this afternoon, I got an email:
Each month, one of the competition's entrants is given a print copy of the dictionary and declared a Witty Winner!
Well, this afternoon, I got an email:
Congratulations Timothy
You are the winner of July's Dictionary Wit competition.
How about that, eh? I'll refrain from telling you my definition, as they haven't put it on their website yet, but I'll let you all know as soon as it's up.
Excelsior!
Excelsior!
UPDATE! - I've always wanted to see my name in lights (yeah, right), but on the front page of a dictionary website will do. I'm up!
*I gather it's a little like being a member of The Argonauts, except there are no radios involved.
*I gather it's a little like being a member of The Argonauts, except there are no radios involved.
19 comments:
Excellente!
As soon as you're in charge of the Macquarie, what can I do to 1. Induce you to include some better Scrabble scoring words in there? I'd like to make it my dictionary of choice.
2. Make Quasichocochomper a word? I need something to describe myself for the last couple of days.
Yours truly,
Maria
Not sure, have you tried bribing the publisher already? Also, what are you quasichomping? a Quasimarsbar?
Whoo, hoo!
Congratulations Timmy!
I'm not sure but it tastes kinda chocolatey but not quite.
Thus the term.
**Off topic - COMMUNITY SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT**
On the blog http://sologamer.blogspot.com the blogger Friendless has posted about a puppy Eva he has found, microchipped etc (photo provided) who seems to have lost its owner and he can't locate it, not for lack of trying. He's in Brisbane. He can't keep the puppy. Is anyone a) A Queenslander interested in adopting a puppy? b) Know anyone interested in adopting a puppy? c) Know some more ways he might consider contacting the owner? He has listed the methods he tried on his post - it's dated 29 July 2007.
If you do perhaps you could post on his blog a note.
Thought I might spread the word around for him,
Maria
Are we doing commumity service announcements now?
'People, there's a rumour circulating about the brown acid...'
Oh, and congrats, Timmy.
Wearing stilettos cause hideous bunions and wreck your back.
This applies to both men and women.
You've been warned.
Now, I have some nice watches ...
Wearing stilettos and taking the brown acid leads to a really wild night out.*
* I am not speaking from experience. Honestly.
Don't do a community service announcement about brown acid while I'm doing the quasichocochomping. I'd prefer the blissfull ignoramussy-deathknellness.
Nice one.
You are the very model of a modern lexicographer.
Congratulations...TIMOTHY.
We always knew he was the modern model of something.
Congrats Tim.
No-one has ever referred to me as a "wit", sadly. I've had "F**k-wit" many a time, but "wit", never.
We live in hope.
Thanks all. I notice this got linked on Crikey, though there's no update on Macquarie's website.
I wonder what I'll write if they decide they *don't* like my entry after all...?
I know, I know. I'm wangsting again.
JH has had f**kwit, TimT has had wit, I've had Halfwit and Twit.
But it was said a few times, and a lot of "Halfwit!"s make lots of wit, don't they?
Depending on the amount of times you get called a 'halfwit' every day, you could say:
"I'm a two and a half wit!"
"Four and a half wits, myself."
Here's a two thirds wit.
Oh, very nice, Timothy.
Goddamn, I can't type, three goes to remove the p.
Mazel Tov on your win de wit!
Wangsting is a great term.
Lately a friend came up with the term "emgineer" for someone who event-manages for a living.
Since winning this competition, I've become a complete wangster, coining dictionary definitions left, right and centre.
Mathematician: One who understands what it is to count, but cannot be counted on to be understood.
Journalist: One who reports his opinions as if they were facts, and facts as if they were opinions.
(Etc. I'm not exactly imaginative)
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