Of course none of this is new to me. I've been a giant geek since as far back as I can remember, but in this recent period of introspection, I've also noticed something else I do that most non-nerds probably don't do. I use a lot of made up words in my regular everyday vernacular.
I'm not talking about words like Jedi or Tribble, although those most definitely count as made up words I do use. No, I'm talking about words that sneak their way even into non-geeky conversations. Things like Tribble can usually only be included in conversations specifically about that which you are referring to. It's very hard to include something like that in, oh say, a conversation with your mechanic about why your car won't start, or with your co-workers when discussing projects you're working on.
I've realized though that I do actually use a lot of made up words in situations like these. Strangely enough, they actually fit into regular conversations too. The key I've noticed is that they are words that are simple enough or similiar enough to other real words or phrases that even non-nerds can understand their meaning even if they don't know the actual definition of the word or its origin. After thinking on this realization for a bit, I've put together a list of five words that I actually do use in almost every day conversation (I swear) that I have learned only from watching the nerdy kinds of shows that I love.
5. Gorram
Gorram (Pronounced Gore-Ram) - Interjection/Expletive
The Word Gorram is familiar to anyone who has seen Joss Whedon's TV show Firefly. It was a standard curse word used by multiple characters on the show in place of what would normally be the term "God Damn". It was most commonly used by the character Jayne when he was upset or angry.
Example: "My gorram car died on the way to work today!"
This is one of those words that just slips out without me even realizing I've said it. I do admit to having the tendency to cuss like a sailor, but it takes a special kind of nerd to start cussing using fake words from cancelled sci-fi TV shows. I think it's gorram's similarity to god damn that has really made this one become part of my daily life. I use the two words interchangably now. They sound the same, they have the same meaning, therefore in my head they are now both perfectly valid words to be used in normal conversation. Damn what the Oxford English Dictionary has to say on the matter.
4. Jinkies
Jinkies (Pronounced Jeen-keys) - Expletive
Jinkies of course was first used by Velma on the Scooby Doo cartoon series. It was her regular catchphrase (much like Shaggy had Zoinks), and was used to express suprise or to announce a major realization.
Example: "Jinkies, I think I just found out where my socks go when the washing machine steals them."
I was a huge Scooby Doo fan growing up, and Velma was always my favorite character. She was the smart, quiet one who always was the one who actually solved whatever mystery they were working on. While Fred was too busy trying to shag the brainless Daphne, and Scooby and Shaggy were hiding in fear somewhere, it almost always came down to Velma to figure everything out. It's no wonder then that an impressionable young Patrick took on some of the mannerisms of such an unassuming hero. Even today, I still say Jinkies on a regular basis whenever something suprises me, or I discover something really cool about the world.
3. Shazbot
Shazbot (Pronounced Shaz-Bot) - Explective
The term Shazbot comes from the late 70's and early 80's TV show Mork & Mindy (which starred a young Robin Williams). The show was about an alien who lived with you young woman on earth. Shazbot was a word used by Mork in place of the regular curse word "shit".
Example: "Shazbot! I spilled my beer!"
I watched a lot of Mork & Mindy growing up. I took to sci-fi at an early age, and a show about an alien who ages in reverse was really funny to me. As for Shazbot, I picked this one up because in my house as I was growing up, we were completely forbidden to cuss. Therefore, I had to find other words to use in place of actual curse words. Shazbot was one of the first ones I learned. So long as I didn't go too far with it and use it all the time, I could say Shazbot in front of my mom and she wouldn't even bat an eye. I'm sure she knew what I was doing, but I don't really think she cared since the word was fake. Regardless, since I've been saying Shazbot since I was about six years old, it long ago became a regular part of my vocabulary and even though I can say shit all I want nowadays, I still find myself slipping back to shazbot more often than you would imagine.
2. Retcon
Retcon (Pronounced (Ret-Con) - Verb
The term retcon is actually a shortening of the term Retroactive Continuity. It was first used by DC Comics in the early 1980's and is a term for what happens when writers or story tellers deliberately change pre-existing facts or events in a work of serial fiction.
Example: "I can't believe they just retconned Superman's origin and powers like that."
Retcon is a really interesting word. I didn't even realize it was a made up word until a few years ago, and I'd been using it for a while too. Retconning is most often seen in the comic book industry where new editors and writers will come in and completely change characters, their origins, or how previous large events in their stories happened. A great example of this is the One More Day storyline in the Spider-man comics. In the story, Spider-man makes a deal with the devil (literally) to save his dying Aunt May. The price for saving her is that his marriage to Mary Jane is abolished and all memory of it is wiped from his memory and the memories of everyone who has ever met either of them. For all intents and purposes in the story now, Spider-man never got married. The whole marriage story, which ran for about 20 years, has been retconned into non-existence.
It doesn't just pop up in comics though. Since it was first created, retcon now shows up all over the place. One of my more favorite uses of the word happened in the Torchwood TV series. In that series, they have a drug called Retcon which they can give to people that makes them completely forget everything they've seen or experienced for the past 24 hours or so. It's a total memory wipe of recent events, which basically retcons the last day's events from their brains. Yes, it's a cheesy plot device but I love it.
1. Frak
Frak (Pronounced....well....Frak) - Expletative/Adjective
Frak (sometimes spelled Frack) is the standard curse word used in the Battlestar Galactica universe. Every character in the show uses it at least a few times over the course of the series. It's heard at least a good dozen times in one variation or another in each episode. Variations include such colorful phrases as Frakking, Fraked, Frakker and Motherfrakker among others. It is their replacement word for the word "fuck" which enables the show's creators to have a very foulmouthed cast that can float right by the censors.
Example: "Frak! This stupid frakking traffic is going to make me late to work! Stupid motherfrakkers, get out of my frakking way!!!"
I love the word Frak. It's so simple, so elegant, and can be used in so many ways. Sure, there have been other shows who have used made up words to replace the word "fuck". Farscape is one that comes to mind with their regular use of the word "frell", but frak just feels more natural and seems to roll off the tongue more easily. It really is the best made up four letter word I can think of. It's become rather commonplace too and has started showing up in other shows as well. You can also find the word printed on t-shirts, coffee mugs and bumper stickers. Even people who have never seen Battlestar knows what someone means when they yell Frak. It has a universal appeal, and it is something I definitely use on an almost daily basis.
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