this post was submitted on 07 Feb 2026
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I have, twice that I can remember.

  • Nukamajig - microwave. I still use it from time to time because it's too stupid not to.
  • Miscombobulate - mixup and confuse. Just now, between the time it was and when the appartment building's laundry room was closed for the night.
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[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 1 points 4 days ago

Certainly; but fuck if I can remember any of 'em. πŸ€·β€β™‚οΈ

[–] Professorozone@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

Well I don't see why it can't be.

[–] YeahIgotskills2@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

You people are way too bright with your apt and often witty alternatives for when you forget something's actual name. Me? I just employ an entirely random sound or made up word. It drives my wife insane. "Babe, would you pass me the...fucking... spraaaal?"

[–] AlexCory21@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

My mom sometimes uses "doomaflagidad" for basically anything. The only way I've been able to translate is by using context clues. Usually based on what we're talking about or if she's pointing or using hand gestures.

[–] Signtist@bookwyr.me 39 points 1 week ago (2 children)

My family calls the TV remote a "gonk" because apparently my grandpa called it that once back when they were still a pretty new thing, and it stuck. My mom and her siblings passed it on to their own kids, and now there's just a small packet of people in Minnesota who call TV remotes gonks, much to the confusion of our peers.

[–] ArmoredThirteen@lemmy.zip 14 points 1 week ago

This is exactly how hyper specific regional dialects get those extra weird words that're like how TF did this small town all start saying this word

[–] Demonmariner@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

That's silly. Everyone knows they are called motes.

[–] Hackworth@piefed.ca 22 points 1 week ago (3 children)

The cloth you put on your pillow to catch nap drool.

[–] hypnicjerk@lemmy.world 22 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] hector@lemmy.today 6 points 1 week ago

That is one of the betterific ones I've seen.

[–] TheReturnOfPEB@reddthat.com 16 points 1 week ago (3 children)

i have sat staring at the word I wrote: "uv" trying to figure out why it was wrong

uv course

I've had the same experience, except I wrote it as "ove" and it took me far longer than I'd like to admit to realize what I had done. There are a couple other words that I've typed a phonetic spelling without realizing it, but I can't seem to remember the specific words at the moment.

only a matter of time before that's a commonly accepted spelling, guv. I wouldn't be surprised if future actors mistakenly pronounce the current spelling as "awf" in their period pieces.

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[–] starlinguk@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I have long covid, I'm in the menopause, and I deal with three separate languages each day.

Anyway, gulls are sea pigeons. You're welcome.

[–] RisingSwell@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Sea pigeons works at least. Had a guy call an apple turnover an apple pasty. I mean, it's the same shape so yeah it works

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[–] turboSnail@piefed.europe.pub 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

And pigeons are flying rats.

[–] Passerby6497@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

And doves are just pigeon racists.

[–] moondoggie@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago (3 children)

I don’t intentionally make them up, it’s just what comes to me as my brain frantically tries to figure out the right word. Like β€œfish museum.”

[–] fubo@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

They caught all the fish and put 'em in a fish museum
And charge the people twenty-five bucks just to see 'em

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[–] thinkercharmercoderfarmer@slrpnk.net 8 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Omnitemporally, or put another way, circumclockularly. That's how words innoventually enter the lexicon.

[–] Etterra@discuss.online 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

At least when they're not being stolen wholesale, needfully or not. Looking at you, umami.

[–] thinkercharmercoderfarmer@slrpnk.net 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

That's why I only use words that I find rummaging through other peoples' trash. I call it scavenglish.

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[–] shai_hulud@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

My partner says "pizza rind" for the crust edge that she won't eat.

[–] Tonava@sopuli.xyz 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Yes, since in my native language creating new words is a build-in feature (I'm finnish). You don't know what's that called? Forgot the word? A new thing that doesn't even have a word for it? Just slap two or more together and it's fine

[–] Pirtatogna@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Agglutinative/synthesizing language.

--Edit--

The way this works is by combining roots/stems, adding derivational suffixes and using transparent compounds. In effect you can create words for novel ideas that feel instantly clear to all the speakers of the language because the building blocks follow a set of familiar patterns and rules.

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[–] Passerby6497@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I remember there was a reddit community about this for a while, but I can't remember what it was.

My favorite that I've used on occasion during a brain fart is 'food laundry' when I can't remember 'dishes'

There's a similar thing called "sniglets" (words for things that don't have words).

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[–] Perspectivist@feddit.uk 6 points 1 week ago

Similar thing happens to me with certain subjects I mostly only ever discuss online in English or hear talked about on English-language podcasts.

Then when I try talking about them in my native language, I often realize I don't have the vocabulary for it. Depending on who I'm talking to, I'll either just drop the English term in there or have to pause and hunt for the closest equivalent in my own language - which isn't always easy.

[–] RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I have cryptolalia. So... squirtainly.

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A friend went through a lot of relationships last year and at one point I just lost track of their names so I started calling them a random woman's name which stuck, and now the whole group of friends refers to his various love interests with that name.

[–] Endmaker@ani.social 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

In the context of sorting rubbish:

combustibles / flammables -> burnables

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[–] HenriVolney@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Happends to me all the time, more so since I got COVID. Especially embarrassing when public speaking. My foggy brain won't come up with any invented word though

[–] starlinguk@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

Fun fact: the average person loses 3 IQ points every time they get covid.

[–] BonesOfTheMoon@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

My friend had brain surgery for an aneurysm, and every so often she fumbles a word as a result. One day she wanted to say the word lumberjacks, but her brain came up with logfarmers instead.

[–] Zexks@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Nukamajig is something id expect in fallout

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[–] beelzebum@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago (2 children)
[–] DrBob@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 week ago

I am sad to report that this is already a word. My condolences.

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[–] Hegar@fedia.io 4 points 1 week ago (3 children)

A patient i worked with did this a lot, often using same or similar sounding words.

Medical or technical things were often alosorous, usually too alosorous.

People got described as mashoki or mershoki - i couldn't tell which it was supposed to be.

There were one or two other ones that came up regularly and a host of one-offs. The only one-off i remember is that my smile was as lovely as a han-gono.

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[–] fubo@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

There's the -dooj suffix, which means "a familiar thing that should be around here somewhere, and that has such-and-so quality." This is useful for asking questions like "Where's the ... the clickydooj?"

  • clickydooj β€” TV remote
  • stickydooj β€” roll of masking tape, wad of blue-tack, etc.
  • pokeydooj β€” sharp tool, digging stick, etc.
  • dogwalkydooj β€” leash
  • scoopydooj β€” ice cream scoop
  • pinchydoojes β€” tongs

(The variant spelling -doodge is also acceptable.)

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[–] calamitycastle@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

I find using jawn helpful. I'm not from philly but it works everywhere

[–] troot@piefed.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 week ago

I make words up for things I don't even forget because at this moment I know it's the right word. And I keep them.

[–] stoy@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Swedish is awesome with compound words, say that you forget the Swedish word for "computer", "dator", you could just use "informationshanteringsmaskin" instead!

I used three words to make one compound word, the words I used was:

"Information", "hantering" and "maskin"

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