DEFINITION: n. Strange sounds that keep you awake in the middle of the night. v. To lie in bed unable to sleep because you keep hearing weird sounds.

Noxomatopoeia

Created by: OZZIEBOB

Pronunciation: nokso-mat-uh-PEE-uh

Sentence: "What was that? A loose floor board? Is someone's downstairs? Did I lock the back door? Is there someone on the stairs?" With every strange sound my fear grows. My mind exaggerates the dangers of the noises of the night; I hear dust bouncing on the carpet, and spiders weaving cable-sized webs. Elephant-eared, heart-racing, and stock still, I lie awake in fear of who and what is lurking. Out of the silence, my already fragile peace of mind is further shaken by the creaking groans of the aging house's arthritic joints. Slowly, quietness returns; my eyes close; suddenly my tranquility is broken by Roxie, "Here's your tea and toast, love." Relieved to awake alive, I chat along. " Helluva noise in the street, last night." "Oh, was there!" she replies, "I slept like a babe; didn't hear a thing. Must have been your noxomatopoeia, again".

Etymology: Blend of L. NOCT, NOX: night & ONOMATOPOEIA: formation of a word, such as clink, creak, ping by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent.

Points: 671

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