Making up new words is easy. Getting them used is harder
Part of the secret is not to try too hard
IF YOU WANT an obituary in the New York Times, there is one sure-fire way: coin a famous word. People have found their way into those pages under headlines that tout their minting of “workaholic”, “burnout” and “homophobia”, even over other big achievements. There is something immortal about adding to the lexicon.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Minty fresh”
Culture March 13th 2021
From the March 13th 2021 edition
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