You’re making this up.

According to www.doubletongued.org, October 16 is Dictionary Day, celebrating the 249^th birthday of Noah Webster. “The proper way to celebrate that is to stand on street corners reading your favorite dictionary entries to passersby. Lexicographers no longer carry out the airing of grievances: too many people were hurt by being whacked up side the head with Webster’s Third New International Dictionary.”

This is a whole world that had escaped me until recently, when I read “Coming to Terms” by Steve Pinker in the Los Angeles Times Opinion section (Sunday September 30). It annoys me that I can’t easily link you to the article, but the Times tries to charge over the internet for every article older than today’s edition. Anyway, the America Dialect Society led me to Double-Tongued Dictionary: ” A Lexicon of fringe English, focusing on slang, jargon and new words.”

With more than 1250 entries of new words, mostly slanglish, I have culled some of the ones dealing with religion, for your edification and amusement.

apatheism, n. the attitude of not caring about religion or whether there is a God. Etymological Note: apa(th)y + -theism.

bark mitzvah, n. a (13th birthday) party held for a dog. Editorial Note: Usually jocular. The event itself usually has few, if any, serious religious components and are less coyly known simply as cat mitzvahs and dog mitzvahs. In many cases, the 13th birthday is figured in dog years, usually said to be a ratio of seven dog years for every one human year. Etymological Note: From bark ‘the onomatopoeic sound a dog is said to make’ + bar mitzvah, the Jewish ceremony for a boy’s arrival at the age of manhood and religious responsibility, or bat mitzvah, the equivalent ceremony for a girl.

bleeding deacon, n. a person who believes himself indispensable to a group, esp. a person who becomes so over-involved in a group’s internal management, policies, or politics as to lose sight of its larger goals; (hence) a person with a negative, moralizing character, who acts like the sole source of wisdom. Editorial Note: Most cites are connected to Alcoholics Anonymous or to similar 12-step programs. The historical information in the 1998 and 1999 cites is not verified.

blessing way, n. a spiritual ceremony or gathering celebrating a woman’s pregnancy. Also blessingway. Editorial Note: The tone, content, and intent of a blessing way can vary greatly, but generally, the event involves songs, food, and the giving of gifts and good wishes to the mother. In less spiritual practice, a blessing way is similar to a baby shower and is held for a pregnancy other than a woman’s first. Etymological Note: As described in the citations dated 1932 and 1970, and in the second 1993 citation, this specific and specialized use of the term “blessing way” probably comes from the Navajo, who also use the Blessing Way ritual for other purposes: for those who are going away, for those who have returned, for those about to undertake an important task, etc.

fundagelical, n. a fundamentalist or evangelical Christian; a person who evangelizes or espouses fundamentalist beliefs for any cause. Also adj. Subjects: English, United States, Religion, Derogatory Editorial Note: Usually derogatory. Etymological Note: fundamentalist + evangelical.

gay church, n. jocularly, a gym. Editorial Note: Popularized by, if not originated by, the American television sitcom Will & Grace. Occasionally, in various nonce uses as in the 2004 citation, the term is applied to other places or activities stereotypically associated with homosexuals.

godbag, n. a person who espouses or promotes a religion, especially in politics or the public sphere. Editorial Note: A different “god bag” is a device for relieving psychological burdens: it is a receptacle that holds pieces of paper on which one has described one’s troubles. The 2001 citation is probably an unrelated nonce usage, as the writer has used the word “God” to replace obscenities throughout the post. Etymological Note: Perhaps patterned after “windbag,” “dirtbag,” “douchebag,” or “scumbag.”

God breeze, n. a commonplace epiphany or revelation (attributed to divine influence). Editorial Note: A similar word is theopneusty, meaning “divine inspiration” and coming from the Greek word for “God” and “breathe.” Etymological Note: According to several non-authoritative sources, perhaps originally a translation of the Hebrew for “holy ghost.”

God wink, n., something taken as evidence that a higher power is at work; a coincidence. Editorial Note: The term was popularized by Squire Rushnell in his 2003 book When God Winks and in his subsequent books.

Jesus year, n. a person’s 33rd year of life. Editorial Note: A similar term is Elvis year ‘a person’s 42nd year of life; the peak year of at which a person or thing peaks in popularity.’ Etymological Note: From the age that Jesus is said to have been when he died.

jubu, n. a Jewish person who maintains Buddhist beliefs or practices. Also Jewbu. Editorial Note: This term was popularized by Rodger Kamenetz through his 1994 book A Jew in the Lotus: A Poet’s Rediscovery of Jewish Identity.

meat tag, n. identifying information such as name, Social Security number, religion, blood type, etc., tattooed on a soldier’s body. Editorial Note: According to the Macquarie Dictionary, in Australia “meat tag” is a colloquial expression for “dog tag” or “identity disc.” The 1977 and 1997 citations below are both Australian.

stained-glass ceiling, n. a barrier to the advancement of women within the hierarchy of a church. Etymological Note: This is a specific form of “glass ceiling,” which is the barrier to advancement of women in any profession. A related term is marble ceiling, which applies to the same situation in politics.

woo-woo, adj. concerned with emotions, mysticism, or spiritualism; other than rational or scientific; mysterious; new agey. Also n., a person who has mystical or new age beliefs.

Some of this stuff is interesting. I confess that they made me laugh or at least smile. But in terms of new words to add to my vocabulary, I am mostly “apa-linguistic” about them!

—Pastor Dan Hooper, Los Angeles

This entry was posted on October 16, 2007 at 07:57 and is filed under Public Affairs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

| Print