Douglas Adams created a book called the Meaning of Liff. It’s a compilation of English Placenames used to describe things that currently have no actual word attached to them. It’s a funny book, and it’s also a game I like to play on long road trips through the Australian Outback, to keep us amused, chortling, laughing, sometimes guffawing, and occasionally snickering.
Here’s how you do it:
You see a placename on a signpost.
You come up with a definition for that word, using it to describe a concept, feeling or thing that currently has no word attached to it.
Here are some of my own examples. These are real Australian placenames. You’ll get the idea.
Goondiwindi:
A small embarrassing fart unexpectedly expelled when laughing out loud in quiet company.
Ardleton:
A person of advancing years who drives at a speed so slow that they could possibly pass away before they reach their destination.
Barrogan:
A frustrated person who is in a hurry to drive somewhere quickly, and who is being prevented from doing so because they are stuck behind an Ardleton.
Conway:
A road that you drive down for a considerable distance before you realise that a prankster has in fact turned the sign at the last junction in the opposite direction.
Hindmarsh:
An inviting patch of lawn which appears to be dry and the perfect spot for a picnic, however, after sitting there for an extended period you discover that your bottom is actually wet.
Bangalow:
A car which has had its suspension lowered so as to increase performance, but which is in such a decrepit state of repair that you wonder why the owner would bother in the first place.
Andover:
The act of hanging around for as little time as possible at a car dealership when you trade your old car for a new one, knowing that the old one is on its last legs and will probably never start again.
I am just simply blogger and lived with my beloved computer, do what i hate and leave what i like. Death By sunrise, Live by Moonlight