A fine episode of Helen Zaltzman’s podcast The Allusionist, about hyperbolic indefinite numerals: “Zillions.”
Our household’s favorite hyperbolic indefinite numeral is eleventyteen, from Elaine’s father Burton Fine. What’s your favorite hyperbolic indefinite numeral?
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
“Zillions”
By Michael Leddy at 9:14 AM
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comments: 7
brazillian! I've used this a brazillianTimes!
I prefer bajillions.
eh, I'm boring in this: I say zillions.
This topic reminds me of an embiggening word that makes my skin crawl:
gi-normous.
Why, I wonder, do some words make our skin crawl?
For me, they're not necessarily neologisms (though I do also hate staycation)--sometimes they're quite normal old words-- munch, for instance, gives me the creeps.
--Fresca
Mucilage, swab, the list goes on.
Ewwww!!!
Yep. My skin crawls at those!
P.S. Actually, I'm OK with swab.
But mucilage.... yuck! I think it's the meaning + the sound.
However, I am perfectly unmoved by the name slime mold.
I like "much". One recent conversation using it:
"Do you have many?"
"Many."
"How many?"
"Much."
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