Wordsworth

The challenge was to coin a new word or phrase based on the name of a well-known person, then add a definition and demonstrate its usage in a sentence. Jann Ross of Glen Eden gives us Captaincooked: to meet an untimely demise while adventuring – “Dear Madam, I regret to inform you that your husband was captaincooked in the South Seas.”

Hans Zindel, Palmerston North: Twyfordable: the relative cost of housing – “Many first-home buyers wonder just how twyfordable Kiwi Build homes will be.” Alan Beck, Dunedin: Frances Parkinson Keyes: a 20th-century typewriter favoured by US novelists – “Lillian Hellman was so angered, she threw the Frances Parkinson Keyes out the window.”

Rex McGregor, Auckland: LeesGallowayt: unsustainable pressure – “The dolphin died from a lees-gallowayt of plastic in its stomach.” Keith Davidson, Blenheim: Huckabee: a ferocious insect found in the Washington DC area – “Reporters are well-advised to be cautious of the huckabee’s stinging response.”

But Bay of Plenty’s David Wort wins with a double effort: Shepparding: tendering a large banknote for a small purchase in order to impress – “Shepparding is rife at the post office; a tenner to buy a stamp is commonplace.” And: Upham: a rousing battle cry – “He charged at the enemy lines shouting, “Upham!”

Next, we revisit a popular past contest: send us a couplet describing one or more of life’s little annoyances. Pettiness is encouraged. Here’s an example by Anne Martin: “Good evening, Madam,

I’m from Sky.”/”I’m watching Shortland Street. Goodbye!” (Note, your couplet doesn’t have to be a dialogue.) Entries, for the prize below, close at noon on Thursday, December 13.

Submissions: wordsworth@listener.co.nz or Wordsworth, NZ Listener, Private Bag 92512, Wellesley St, Auckland 1141. Please include your address. Entries may be edited for sense or space reasons.