OED here we come...

[venta]

Words for elderly prawn crackers.



I was hoping to make the poll answers viewable - I thought there was some way of closing the poll, and making the results public. But I can't work out how.

However. There seemed to be something of a concencus that the word ought to start with "sq". Indeed, two people independently (I assume, unless they actually know each other and were conspiring) chose the unlikely-looking "squnchy". There were many very similar variants.

Credit should be given to suggestions by:

verlaine - feculent is a great word, but not tecnically an invention.
davefish - Dyslopid is also a great word, but doesn't sound at all prawncrackerish to me.

Bonuses to both of them for avoiding the ----y format.

However, here are my favourites. I shall preserve the anonymity of the suggesters for now, so no one can make their choice based on who deserves a pint. Vote for the best word (or mail me if you're LJ-less), and we'll settle this democratically by secret ballot.

[Poll #179060]

Comments

[verlaine.livejournal.com]

I might have gone with squunchy, but I'm afraid squnchy just poses too many philological problems for me...

[venta.livejournal.com]

Yup. Hence my surprise that it got suggested twice. A couple of other people suggested essentially the same word, but wussed out and added more vowels.

The problem is...

[lanfykins.livejournal.com]

...that the sound that is required is 'skwunchy'.

Now, 'skwunchy' looks a bit wrong.

Something starting with 'squ' suggests words like squamous, which is good, but there is then no way to get the 'u' sound in without looking odd.

Of course, since the texture of several-day-old prawn crackers is also odd, this could be regarded as more of an advantage than a drawback.

Re: The problem is...

[floralaetifica.livejournal.com]

I prefer it pronounced 'skunchy' - it conveys the feeling of skankiness as well as the feeling of the texture.

[megamole.livejournal.com]

The scientific word I've come up with is "antiquocartonaceous." Failing that, scrudgy.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Splendid. That scientific term is clearly correct, though, of course, not really usable for everyday.