Humdinger
Sometimes my fingers take on an independent life and type something quite other than I intended. For example, while looking up ‘humdinger’ I inadvertently typed, humdinbgerf. It was quite a pleasing word, I felt, and Bing agreed, saying, That’s quite a word you’ve invented there — humdinbgerf has a fun, bouncy rhythm to it. It feels like it could mean anything from a mythical creature to the sound your brain makes when it’s overloaded.
I typed again and this time created hjumdinger, to which Bing responded with, hjumdinger has a totally different vibe from your earlier invention — it feels sharper, almost like a word that announces itself.
It could easily be:
·
a quirky gadget (“Pass me the hjumdinger, the
screws are tiny”)
·
a celebratory exclamation (“Well that’s a real
hjumdinger of a win”)
·
or even a creature that lives in the corner of a
fantasy tavern, judging everyone silently
In addition to mistyping, there’s the accidental striking of the CAPS KEY AND THE CHAOS THAT CREATES.
Occasionally, one of the cats, usually Jellicoe, walks across the keyboard, exercising his inner creativity. This becomes more pronounced the closer it gets to one of his mealtimes.
After my Stroke last December I had partial Aphasia and either say or type a different word than I intended, a completely different word, often that makes absolutely no sense in the sentence being used. It's getting better over Time tho'. As for Typos, I INSTANTLY know when I've Typed one no matter how fast I'm Typing, which is very Weird when you think about it.
ReplyDeleteMuscle memory in your fingers . . .
DeleteI LOVE being playful with words (intentionally or otherwise), especially portmanteau words. If you're interested, click the wordfuse tag on my blog.
ReplyDeleteI will make a point of looking, DB.
DeleteGeniuses, like you, who coined words in the past were ignored. Now the new word is picked up and given meaning!
ReplyDeleteGiggling here . . .
DeleteI sometimes hit caps lock at the wrong time by accident and eND UP SHOUTING AT EVERYONE
ReplyDeleteThat is the problem, isn't it?
DeleteI sometimes type weird words too and I hate that accidental CAPS LOCK KEY thing. My biggest problem though is I watch the keyboard as I type and sometimes nothing is appearing on screen as I have somehow managed to scroll down far away from the comment box, and I don't know how that's happening.
ReplyDeleteIt's fun when inexplicable things happen, isn't it? 😳😁
DeleteYour writings made me smile today, thank you! :)
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Denise.
DeleteI like humdinbgerf. I think it perfectly describes my brain when it is overloaded and I shall begin using it for that purpose. Thank you for introducing me to it.
ReplyDeleteI expect to see it in a dictionary in due course . . . 🤣😂
DeleteI like the word hjumdinger. With the j after the h it seems Scandinavian.
ReplyDeleteJellico's way of saying, "Get away from that keyboard and get my dinner".
The cat is to be obeyed, instantly . . .
DeleteHappens to me a lot. I type the wrong thing which completely changes the meanings.
ReplyDeleteIt's almost as bad as predictive text. which I hate.
DeleteI too love the word humdinger. It reminds me of other combined words I use eg shopaholic, guesstimate and ginormous. Are they in proper dictionaries? or are they slang?
ReplyDeleteApparently, they are real words and can be found in dictionaries. Amazing, isn't it?
DeleteI am the world’s wosty keyboarder. Case in point: instead of ‘worst’ I typed ‘wosty’ in the first sentence. There were other mistakes too.
ReplyDeleteIt makes life interesting, somehow, though typing takes so much longer when mistakes have to be corrected!
DeleteThe humdinbgerf could easily be one of the magical creatures J.K. Rowling has made up for her stories around Newt Scamander.
ReplyDelete. . . or one of Roald Dahl's inventions.
DeleteOne of the categories of questions in Richard Osman's House of Games is where the questionsetter's cat has walked across the keyboard....
ReplyDeleteI haven't watched that programme, so can't catch the reference.
Delete
ReplyDeleteDid you ever see 'The Lost Words' book? Several years ago, the publisher of dictionaries (probably Oxford) had dropped out several nature words, something like blackberries!! Big outcry but I bet they would use your word because it reflects the nature of how words create themselves..
I gave a copy of this book to one of my grandchildren a few years ago. Lovely book!
DeleteMy little fat fingers regularly mistype words on my 'phone's tiny keypad. Also, autocorrect often changes correctly spelled words into something entirely different. Just can't win.
ReplyDeleteI hate trying to type on my iPhone. Using a pencil instead of a finger helps, but it's not always practicable.
DeleteI have fat fingers as well, I now read everything through, carefully, before pressing send. and like JayCee spell check can completely change the word.
ReplyDeleteSpellcheck is as bad as predictive text, in my view.
DeleteIt's funny how our brains can see words that misspelt words are meant to be.
ReplyDeleteOur brains are quite clever, really . . .
DeleteHumdinbgerf is a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden - famous for its gravlax sausages that are usually eaten with raw eggs and pork fat. Utterly delicious.
ReplyDeleteDon't believe a word he says! Humdinbergf is a small village in the Austrian alps...
DeleteYou do both realise that different communities can have the same name?
DeleteWell how fun was that. It nice that AI would play along with the invented words.
ReplyDeleteAI has a sense of humour, it would seem.
DeleteBing is very interactive. If I spell something wrong I just get an angry red line under the word. At least you get a bit of humour
ReplyDeleteBing only helped because I asked it to. Otherwise, it's the nasty red line, the same as yours.
DeleteI am loving this post a LOT.. really! I have used the word humdinger my whole life, having learned it from my parents, I still use it, I even say, I have a humdinger of a headache.. I like your made up words and am also familiar with accidental caps happening.
ReplyDeleteWell my friend, you have been moodling with the best of me, the moodling while USA burns blogger in Florida. Keep moodling and blogging.
I am flabbergasted, gobsmacked at the humdinger of a mess the president has landed us in.
. . . as are we all. It all seems horribly reminiscent of pre-WW1 years.
DeleteThat's too funny with Bing coming up with suggestions even for your misspelled word... :D
ReplyDeleteOh Jellicoe!
DeleteHe's a character . . . 🐈😺
DeleteI like Bing. It's helpful!
ReplyDeleteI hate the all caps thing. I also hate autocirrect. Random b and v's often pop in. I can't wait to get my computer set up. It has been nearly six months.
ReplyDeleteComputers - wonderful when they're all set up and ready to go, completely useless when the internet goes down.
DeleteCreative spelling has always amused- any word ending in "erf" is comical. Language , organic and entertaining, takes us to places never visited before. Now that my eye sight is next to nill, I surprise myself daily with word inventions that make me laugh. It is not tragic!
ReplyDeleteA sense of the ridiculous conquers most things.
ReplyDeleteI think a hjumdinger is obviously a humdinger of Scandinavian origin. I can't even pronounce humdinbgerf!
ReplyDeleteKeep practising - you'll get there!
DeleteI do like the word humdinger, it can be used in so may ways.
ReplyDeleteHowever, humdinbgerf ... would be a word I have difficulty with LOL
Cats definitely have a thing with keyboards (and boxes), I've noticed when I visit family and friends who have cats.
All the best Jan
Hope you had a wonderful blog break and that your holidays were very delightful. Same here. my fingers move so fast and sometimes when I look back at what I've typed, I just have to laugh at the words I have created. This is a "Humdinger" of a fun story...
ReplyDeleteMy phone often thinks it knows better than me and completes a word that I never intended using.
ReplyDeleteA delightful reflection on typographical serendipity, where mistyped words, an unruly CAPS key, and a creatively intrusive cat conspire to transform everyday errors into playful acts of unintended invention.
ReplyDelete