Shamboa

Clearly I am on a famous author kick this week. I didn't plan it that way, but here we are, so let's take that ball and run with it, eh?

You know that writers make up stories, but did you know they make up words as well? Yep. No, yep isn't one of the made-up words, leastwise not by an author, but here are a few that are. . .

Freelance

Originally, Sir Walter Scott used this word in is 1819 novel Ivanhoe to describe a mercenary knight who offered his services in exchange for money. Today it's used as an individual employed on a project-by-project basis.

Eyeball

Yeah, I know. The word eye has been around forever, as has the word ball, but it took Shakespeare to slap the two together in 1590 in his comedy "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

Yahoo

Some think instantly of email or internet groups. Others think of silly dopes. In Jonathan Swift's 1726 adventure, Gulliver's Travels, the Yahoos were a race of dangerous men.

Boredom

This word comes from one of my favorite Dickens' classics. . . Bleak House, written in 1853. Boring fact: the definition hasn't changed since it's inception.

Nerd

This word did not originate with four-eyed, pocket protector wearing, know-it-alls with horrific social skills. It came from Dr. Seuss in his book If I ran the Zoo (1950).

So why don't you give it a whirl? Just pick 2 random words and stick them together. Mine is Shamboa: A con artist who wears a feathery scarf. Now it's your turn. Leave your new word in the comment section along with a definition.