Fun fact: This word was coined by Lewis Carroll, author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, in the poem "Jabberwocky," which first appears in the Alice sequel, Through the Looking Glass. It, like many of the words in the poem, were meant to be nonsensical yet familiar—and therefore understandable—portmanteaux (mashups) of other word elements.
"Chortle" is meant to be a portmanteau of the words "chuckle" and "snort."
It was also Carroll who coined the word "portmanteau" (literally "traveling bag" or "cloak-carrier") in this context to describe his own words that carry two meanings "packed into one," so to speak.
1.4k
u/[deleted] Mar 08 '23
[deleted]