Thursday, December 13, 2007

Portmanteu

I was looking up some information about one of the local towns here in southern Cali, Calexico in Wikipedia and found this:

"Calexico is a city in Imperial County, California, United States. The population was 27,109 at the 2000 census. It is part of the 'El Centro, California Metropolitan Statistical Area'. Calexico is about 122 miles east of San Diego and about 70 miles west of Yuma, Arizona. Its name, a portmanteau ***of California and Mexico, like that of the adjacent town of Mexicali emphasizes its importance as a border city."

What was that? ......Portna ahmina whatsa.... what? That's what I thought when I read that. Fortunately Wikipedia has a link to the definition. In short it means combining two words to come up with a new one.

Now really I dare anyone to tell me when is the next time this word will be used outside of scrabble. Maybe I am just an ignoramus dorkus, but isn't it easier to just say "A combination of two words"?

I don't know maybe this person has an inferiority complex. Who knows, maybe this person needs a date real bad.

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