JamesG
03-05-2018, 03:00 PM
A Word "The Simpsons" Made Up is Now in the Dictionary
by Liam Mathews
March 5, 2018
This news embiggens my spirit.
On Monday, Merriam-Webster, the most social media-savvy dictionary, announced that 850 words had been added to its online dictionary. One of those words is "embiggen" — which Merriam-Webster defines as "to make bigger or more expansive" — which was invented by "The Simpsons" writer Dan Greaney in 1996.
It comes from a Season 7 episode called "Lisa the Iconoclast." The episode introduced viewers to the city of Springfield's motto, passed down from its founder Jebediah Springfield: "A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man."
"Embiggens?" says schoolteacher Mrs. Krabappel. "I never heard that word before I moved to Springfield."
"I don't know why," answers Ms. Hoover. "It's a perfectly cromulent word."
It's a perfect joke that introduced two words that each entered the lexicon. But for some reason, only "embiggen" is going in the dictionary at this time. I don't know why "cromulent" isn't going in; it's a perfectly cromulent word.
http://www.tvguide.com/news/embiggen-the-simpsons-dictionary/
by Liam Mathews
March 5, 2018
This news embiggens my spirit.
On Monday, Merriam-Webster, the most social media-savvy dictionary, announced that 850 words had been added to its online dictionary. One of those words is "embiggen" — which Merriam-Webster defines as "to make bigger or more expansive" — which was invented by "The Simpsons" writer Dan Greaney in 1996.
It comes from a Season 7 episode called "Lisa the Iconoclast." The episode introduced viewers to the city of Springfield's motto, passed down from its founder Jebediah Springfield: "A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man."
"Embiggens?" says schoolteacher Mrs. Krabappel. "I never heard that word before I moved to Springfield."
"I don't know why," answers Ms. Hoover. "It's a perfectly cromulent word."
It's a perfect joke that introduced two words that each entered the lexicon. But for some reason, only "embiggen" is going in the dictionary at this time. I don't know why "cromulent" isn't going in; it's a perfectly cromulent word.
http://www.tvguide.com/news/embiggen-the-simpsons-dictionary/