The Washington Post’s Mensa Invitational

[Sarah Ibarruri]

The Washington Post’s Mensa Invitational where they asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are this year’s winners...

...
14. Arachnoleptic Fit ( n.): The frantic dance performed just after you’ve accidentally walked through a spider web.

15. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

16. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you’re eating.

See the rest here:

http://www.janebluestein.com/fun/mensa.html

[The_Empress]

1. Actually, it's not the Mensa Invitational, but ...

Actually, there isn't any "Mensa Invitational," but The Washington Post does have a wonderfully clever humor contest called The Style Invitational. And two Invitational contests from 1998 are the sources of many of the neologisms in the list above. (But not all: For example, "decafalon" isn't a one-letter change from "decathlon," is it? Or "caterpallor"?)

Much better to see the the current Invitational -- every week at washingtonpost.com/styleinvitational. We've had more than 600 contests since the ones above! The Style Invitational is published every Sunday in The Post's Style (features) section, and every Friday online. The contests encompass a wide variety of humor genres, from cartoon captions to song parodies, but there are neologism contests regularly as well.

In fact, a recent set of results were for a contest to make a new word that included the letter block N-O-E-L -- in any order, but all together -- and then define the new word. Here are some of the winners:

Groucholenses: How to look at the world through nose-covered glasses. (Eric Fritz, Silver Spring, Md.)

iPhonelecher: A tweet-stalking guy. (Chris Doyle, Ponder, Tex.)

None-liners: Sight gags. (Jeff Contompasis, Ashburn, Va.)

Leno jay: A nocturnal bird that lays an egg every night at 11:35. (Malcolm Fleschner, Palo Alto, Calif.)

See the rest of the winners and learn how to enter the current contest at washingtonpost.com/styleinvitational. Or you can join the group "Style Invitational Devotees" on Facebook or contact me at myerspat [at] gmail [dot] com and you'll get a link to the Invitational when it's posted. I hope you become a regular reader and maybe even a regular entrant.

Best, Pat Myers
The Empress of The Style Invitational
The Washington Post
[e-mail] (And please share this)

[Sarah Ibarruri]

2. Thanks, The_Empress. Sounds pretty awesome. nt

[lastlib]

3. My entry:

Nagivator: a back-seat driver....

[GliderGuider]

4. Nice!

[meow2u3]

5. I have a few

Catstration anxiety - the apprehension of a feline about to go to the vet to be spayed or neutered.

Defeet - the part of de body where you put on de socks and de shoes.

Napoleon Bonesaparte - a dismembered emperor.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

6. Cute ones! nt