invented names

[chazza]

I remember hearing recently about a famous poet who made up words where appropriate words did not already exist. One (or more of these words) are now commonly used in everyday speech, but I can't remember who or what the word is.

I remember being very surprised as it was such a normal word

Sorry this is a bit far fetched but has anyone heard of this and know any more details?

[Hapus]

Do you mean Edward Lear? I know he made up the word runcible that is know commonplace.

[Quizmonkey]

Probably more likely to be Lewis Carroll (though not strictly a poet) who coined 'chortle' (as a mix of chuckle and snort). Words such as 'frabjous' and 'slithy' (from his Jabberwocky poem) have also been used since.

[Hapus]

Oh retract retract retract!!! Just seen a vile typo in my post. Should read is NOW commonplace.
QM - I was tempted to say Lewis Carroll, but he wasn't really a poet so I didn't. Calloo Callay!

[chazza]

I dont think any of those words were the ones I was thinking of - it was something even more commonplace, it could have been by an author or playright rather than a poet.

Sorry to be so vague! Did Edward Lear invent any other words?

[atoach]

Do you mean the word 'blurb', one of several coined by Gelett Burgess ?

see

http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-bl u1.htm

[chazza]

No even more common than that! I'll kick myself when I remember!

[jake-the-peg]

I think there are a number of examples so you might have to give a few more clues.

However one of my favorite similar examples is the sub-atomic particle the quark.

This name was stolen from Jame Joyce's Finnigans Wake "..3 quarks for Muster Mark..." Quark meant crow or caw, Murray Glen-Mann lifted this expression because quarks often come in threes.

I'd imagine Joyce is the only poet to inadvertantly name a subatomic particle

[JamesEverton]

Many poets have played with language to the extent that they have coined new words.

When Robert Graves met Thomas Hardy after the First World he told him that: "Once or twice recently I have looked up a word in the dictionary for fear of being again accused of coining, and have found it there right enough � only to read on and find that the sole authority is myself in a half-forgotten novel."

Can you remember anything else about what the word was or anything more about the poet?

[joko]

hillaire belloc?

[heathfield]

Chazza - if you don't come up with what that word is, we'll do the kicking for you!!!! lol

[adsar]

ahem...Shakespeare? He invented heaps of words didn't he...

[JamesEverton]

Incidentally, Graves met Hardy after the First World War, in case anyone was wondering.

[elpea]

William Spooner... as in spoonerism?