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'Why are you vacuuming the Christmas tree?'

DEFINITION: n., 1. A pine needle infestation, common during and after the holiday season. 2. Prickly Christmas guests who will not leave and cannot be cleaned up. v., To fall down during a holiday party and hide under a rug.

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Verboticisms

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Infestivus

Created by: artr

Pronunciation: infestivus (just like it looks)

Sentence: Debbie and Art were planning a December wedding. To keep it from becoming completely infestivus, Debbie's mother suggested having it a week before Christmas so that out-of-town relatives might stay through Christmas and no longer. She was quite wrong. It turned into Infestivus Maximus with hordes of relatives hanging around until the New Year. Like pine needles stuck in the carpet, she could not get rid of them.

Etymology: infest (of insects or animals) be present (in a place or site) in large numbers, typically so as to cause damage or disease) + festive (cheerful and jovially celebratory) Derivative of Festivus Maximus (Baltimore Raven term for the Super Bowl)

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COMMENTS:

Pine needles are easier to deal with than relatives. They don't get insulted when you yell at them. - wayoffcenter, 2008-12-18: 10:07:00

clever - Seinfeld reference maybe? - Jabberwocky, 2008-12-18: 14:46:00

I like the name...i think you got festivus part from Ravens 2000 Super Bowl Run and added in...you got my vote! - timlumber1, 2008-12-19: 21:50:00

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Conifirmentation

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: kon if fer men tay shun

Sentence: It started the moment the Christmas Tree and the In-laws had arrived at the same time, a week before Christmas. The conifirmentation process. Tree needles everywhere and verbal needles about the food, the decor, the drinks, the gift choices, etc. At least the fir needles knew when to depart the host branch, unlike the In-laws, who thought that all could benefit from their "suggestions" and constructive criticism. "Next Year", she said to her husband, "We buy the air tickets for them and make sure that they are only here for a few days, not the current one month long visit!" Houseguests, as they say, are like fish...after a few days they start to smell.

Etymology: Conifer (any gymnospermous tree or shrub bearing cones) & Fir (any of various evergreen trees of the genus Abies; often used for Christmas Trees) & Fermentation ( a process in which an agent causes an organic substance to break down into simpler substances; especially, the anaerobic breakdown of sugar into alcohol;be in an agitated or excited state;go sour or spoil)

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Firiends

Created by: mweinmann

Pronunciation: fir - ee - ends

Sentence: It had been a wonderful holiday season. Sidney was thinking back to the parties, gifts and good cheer, as he took down the tree. As usual, there were needles all over the carpet. They had begun to feel like old, familiar firiends, he thought. Many of the needles would remain woven in and under the rug for years, along with the holiday guests who had fallen and disappeared there as well.

Etymology: This word is a combination of several... Fir (Species of evergreen conifer) + Friends (people you know well and regard with affection and trust) + ends (needles are the "ends" of the tree, and the holiday season has ended.

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COMMENTS:

So a thick coat of needles onm the rug would be a fir coat? Great Word...as soon as I saw it I heard the theme from"Friends" in my head...and now I cannot get it to go away! - Nosila, 2008-12-18: 20:43:00

And the furry ends are what remains. - dochanne, 2008-12-18: 22:08:00

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Pinattaque

Created by: Lingoism

Pronunciation: pahyn-uh-tak

Sentence: Look after your Christmas tree with care if you don't want your home to be the next victim of pinattaque.

Etymology:

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Needlepeedle

Created by: nicky

Pronunciation:

Sentence: Needlepeedle happens all over the house unless you give the Christmas tree a good shake before taking it out to the brush pile

Etymology: needle, pee

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Pernoydles

Created by: metrohumanx

Pronunciation: PURR-noy-dulls

Sentence: Barbara O'Reilly and Keith attempted to remove the PERNOYDLES which spread thru the house like invasive Zebra Mussels, crowding out the native dustballs. Each holiday season, the PERNOYDLES from down the street always stayed until the last dregs of mead were consumed, and the last tasteless limerick recited. During the evening, one guest got a severe attack of the PERNOYDLES and couldn't be located for hours. Last year, we had to drag them out of the sewers and send a few home by taxicab. PERNOYDLES - a must to avoid.

Etymology: PERsistent+anNOY+neeDLES=PERNOYDLES....PERSISTENT:existing for a long or longer than usual holiday time or continuously,retained beyond the usual jolly period,degraded only slowly by the environment;Latin persistent-, persistens, present participle of persistere.....ANNOY:to disturb or irritate especially by repeated pseudo-festive acts or remarks,Middle English anoien, from Anglo-French anuier, ennoier, from Late Latin inodiare to make loathsome, from Latin in + odium hatred .....NEEDLES: a needle-shaped leaf,a slender pointed object resembling a needle,to harass or mock cruelly, to intentionally irritate ;Middle English nedle, from Old English nǣdl; akin to Old High German nādala needle, nājan to sew, Latin nēre to spin, Greek nēn.

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COMMENTS:

Linguistically detailed and PERcise. A PERleasure to PERuse! - dochanne, 2008-12-18: 01:35:00

OH HO! Nice etymology. Pernod (liquor) and needles was what first came to mind. - silveryaspen, 2008-12-18: 02:48:00

Thank you. An absinthesis from the wee hours of the morning. :) - metrohumanx, 2008-12-18: 17:32:00

If you want to REALLY laugh, check out the toys at goblertoys.com: - metrohumanx, 2008-12-18: 17:59:00

http://goblertoys.com/ - metrohumanx, 2008-12-18: 18:00:00

Crowding out the native dustballs, how pernicious! PERfect! - Nosila, 2008-12-18: 20:38:00

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Carpettunnelsyndrome

Created by: purpleartichokes

Pronunciation: car-pet-ton-nul-sin-drum

Sentence: Every December, my living room rug gets carpettunnelsyndrome from the tree needles. The rug rasps eventually get vacuumed up or compost by June.

Etymology: carpal tunnel syndrome, carpet, tunnel

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COMMENTS:

Superb! - Mustang, 2007-12-17: 06:09:00

ouch - Jabberwocky, 2007-12-17: 13:37:00

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