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You’ve probably heard of the term portmanteau before, but you weren’t sure what it meant. Just to be sure: a portmanteau is not the kind of dish you order at a fancy restaurant. Because a portmanteau is a term used to describe a new word formed by combining two or more existing words to give it a new meaning. These funky combination words weren’t invented yesterday; in fact, many beloved authors of all time, such as Lewis Carroll and James Joyce, have been using these hybrid words to convey something.
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, also known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, explained the concept of a trunk in his novel Through the Looking Glass as something like a type of luggage with two equal parts. In the story, Carroll had the handsome Humpty Dumpty help young Alice understand a poem:
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‘That’s enough to start with,’ interrupted Humpty Dumpty: ‘there are a lot of hard words in there. “Brillig” means four in the afternoon, the time you start grilling things for dinner.
‘That’s going to work very well,’ said Alice: ‘and ‘slidy’?’
‘Well, “slithy” means “nimble and slimy.” “Agile” is the same as “active”. You see, it’s like an acronym: two meanings rolled into one word.
In the short reading, the words “brillig” and “slithy” are described as acronyms, jokingly expressing the meanings of their original words. Interestingly, the word “portmanteau” itself is also an acronym. The name, which used to refer to a large leather luggage that was divided into two halves, is a combination of the French words “porter” (to carry) + “manteau” (coat). Word games like this have been a staple of the world of languages and everyday conversation for years and years. If you’re curious which English buzzwords you’ve been using are acronyms, just scroll down the list!
- hungry + angry = hungry
- spork + spoon = spork
- situational + comedy = sitcom
- man + explaining = mansplaining
- laugh + snort = laugh
- friend + enemy = frenemy
- international + network = internet
- malicious + software = malware
- turkey + duck + chicken = turducken
- video + idiot = video
- biography + photo = biopic
- botulinum toxin + = botox
- modulator + demodulator = modem
- image + element = pixel
- costume + role play = cosplay
- breakfast + lunch = brunch
- news + broadcast = newscast
- (pacifier) pop + icicle = popsicle
- splash + splash = splash
- yellow pages + help = howl
- iPod + streaming = podcast
- stay + vacation = vacation
- quarantine + martini = quarantine
- email + mail = email
- binary + digit = bit
- cybernetic + organism = cyborg
- meter + convertible = taxi
- relax + relax = relax
- simulation + documentary = false documentary
- clutch + grip = close
- smoke + fog = smog
- velvet + crochet = velcro
- sarcastic + comment = sarcastic
- Gerry + salamander = gerrymandering
- sheep + shepherd = shepherd
- wealth + influence = wealth
- hazardous + material = hazmat
- list + item = list
- slacker + activist = slacktivist
- information + commercial = infomercial
- pocket + monsters = pokemon
- previous + continuation = prequel
- y + per se + y = & (y)
- engine + hotel = motel
- grape + apple = hook
- spicy + ham = spam
- tofu + turkey = tofurkey
- ice cream + yogurt = froyo
- punch + cappuccino = frappuccino
- athletic + leisure = athleisure
- jeans + leggings = jeggings
- sheep + people = sheep
- ankle + bracelet = anklet
- Great Britain + exit = Brexit
- labrador + poodle = labradoodle
- maltese + poodle = maltipoo
- web + seminar = webinar
- zebra + donkey = zedonk
- cocker spaniel + poodle = cockapoo
- Brad Pitt + Angelina Jolie = Brangelina
- marionette + puppet = muppet
- banjo + guitar = banjitar
- booty + delicious = bootylicious
- Fergie + delicious = Fergalicious
- sidewalk + talk = side talk
- sneeze + fart = grunt
- prim + fussy = prim
- smile + eyes = smile
- fluff + poof = floof
- banana + barbecue = bananacue
- knife + fork = knork
- dinner + lunch = snack
- mock + cocktail = mocktail
- flirt + martini = flirt
- soy + milk = silk
- fog + drizzle = drizzle
- arm + bracelet = bangle
- Oxford + Cambridge = bullock bridge
- permanent + frost = permafrost
- plastic + leather = faux leather
- pun + fun = punny
- faux + mohican = fauxhawk
- fool + hooligan = fool
- teen + in between = tween
- video + blog = vlog
- life + amine = vitamin
- parachute + sail = paragliding
- wave + particle = ripple
- Europe + Asia = Eurasia
- capsule + tablet = capsule
- motor + pedal = moped
- jazz + exercise = jazz exercise
- fake + Instagram = finsta
- glass + plastic = glasstic
- fun + fantastic = fun
- slang + language = slanguage
- smart + sexy = sexy
- guess + estimate = guess
- jeans + shorts = jogging
- spark + funk = sperm
- tar + macadam = asphalt