COMPETITION

No. 601: Student prince

Set by I. M. Crooks: In a recent issue of the Sunday Times Trevor Nunn was quoted as saying that 'Hamlet is a student who is worrying that someone has a file on him.' Competitors are invited to give either an extract from the file or Hamlet's soliloquy on the subject. Maximum 120 words; entries, marked 'Competition No. 601,' by 1 May.

No. 598: The winners

Trevor Grove reports: In a recent speech, Sir Keith Joseph claimed that the Govern- ment was trying to 'Bennboozle' the country. Competitors were invited to supply some similar coinages of their own, plus full dic- tionary definitions and illustrative examples of their use. With 'Quisling' and 'Churchill- ian', to take only two examples, grafted so firmly onto the English language after only a few years, of casual usage, it is quite easy to see that Sir Keith's deft mot may well catch on—as no doubt will some of the more pleasing suggestions provided by this week's competitors. While on the subject of Mr W. Benn, here are three natty coinages from H. A. C. Evans which together form a prize- winning combination: BENNPEROR n. ruler of a bennpire q.v.

BENNPIRE n. a vast dominion founded on technology e.g. the bennperor surveyed his bennpire and saw that it was big.

BENtsrruusiasm n. ethical principle of the greatest misery of the greatest number e.g. bennthusiasm is seriously affecting the quality of the environment.

The best suggestions tended to be those which bore some resemblance in pronouncia- tion to words already familiar: Mr Evans's absalete--`adj. (or dress) stylish, in a some- what antique way'—and hoggoblin are good examples; disempowell, enochulate, bedevle (from Devlin) are others, but alas too com- monly proposed to be prizeworthy.

a. well-earned ten biol.) to each of the follow- So far then, ten shillings to Mr Evans, plus

ing entries:

SCILLITATE vb. trans and intrans. Retire to island ostensibly for recuperative or recrea- tional purposes but in reality to plot further enslavement of unenlightened citizens; dupe electorate while apparently engaged in innocent pastime such as pad- dling; baffle rivals while shrimping. 'He scillitated craftily while the devout popu- lace commemorated Easter': 'The Opposi- tion, confused and scillitated, fell into utter disarray.' Charles Lyall NABORATE v.i. To adopt a loud, prating, self- righteous tone in order to conceal one s ignorance, inaccuracy, prejudice, etc. To try to bully one's opponents in debate into silence by a combination of pompous plati- tude and unctuous sonority. 'The Minister, his arguments exhausted and his data dis- credited, was obliged to naborate brazenly until the closure at eleven' (Times Parlia- mentary Report). Martin Faee HOGGWINK verb, transitive. To pull the placard over someone's eyes through the use of a flood of invective and also (some-

times) through wild gesticulations. e.g. hoggwink a demonstrator. e.g. An ex- hippie today stated that he had been hogg- winked into washing, when in France re- cently, by a voluble Frenchman who had persuaded him to go to a lave-in'.

James McNeill

WOAD-H006 n. A political animal which daubs itself an unnatural shade of deep blue for electoral purpose, as in: 'Society is faced with a new menace on the road to law and order—the Woad-Hogg'.

Malcolm Downing

HOGGRAVATE To inflame or incense by child- ish appeals to unreason. Example: 'Quintin made another thoroughly Hoggravating speech about law and order today.'

Brian Allgar

•

powELvEalsE v.tr. To reduce dry facts to emotive language meaning exactly what the subject intends it to mean without re- gard for context or accuracy. A rhetorical device (etym. obs., it appears to be a Welsh Greek bastard). Cf. related words 'expowell', 'repowell', 'repowelsive' etc.

Andrew Muirhead

FEATHER-FORECAST (fedh-forkahst) n. Under- taking or assurance, of limited accuracy, that the TUC will act in a responsible and statesmanlike manner over incomes policies, unofficial strikes, etc. 'Here is the news and tonight's feather-forecast.'

George van Schaick

COCKSHORE adj. (Of speeches) unedited; de- livered without monitoring. e.g. 'The prime minister hastened to modify such utter- ances. "They are a load of old cock- (shore)", he said' (cf Offshore adj. off the cuff, ill-considered).

Eileen M. Haggitt

HEALEYOTROPE n. (rhet.) Dazzling figure of speech which speciously reconciles mani- fest contradictions e.g. the reversal of a policy is presented, by healeyotrope, as its natural progression.

W./. Webster mAuDLE vb. To give the appearance of lassi- tude or inertia while engaged in cerebral activity of the highest order (fr. Reginald Maudling, a Conservative statesman). 'Pro- fessor Lynx was maudling, Rostrevor de- cided. The relaxed limbs and drooping head gave an impression of languor, but the great brain was working at top speed.' (Graham Blue, The Beginning of the Affair, 1969) G. I. Blundell todurrrt.E n., deriv. from Lord Butler=a last- minute reverse or disappointment. e.g. 'In the 1970 general election Edward Heath experienced a severe rabuttle.'

I. M. Crooks

css•rt.eatc I. n. An interested female who attempts to settle industrial disputes by exercise of a mixture of feminine charm, weeping and footstamping. (The manager sent for a c. to break the deadlock.) 2. v. To undertake such attempts. (To c. be- tween disputing unions.) 3. v. Slang term of abuse. ('C. off!') Often used between contending parties when the apparent benefits of a c's mediations prove illusory. HE" ALEYWINK 1. n. A witticism made in a public speech to divert attention from a grave situation, or unpopular proposal, Particularly in a military context. (The announcement of the imminent collapse. was introduced by a h.) Sometimes used as a term of slightly sour raillery. (11-s to You!') 2. v. To make such a witticism. (Such was the situation's seriousness that , he had to h. constantly.)

Margaret Cash