16 Delightful Made-Up Words

    Illustrator Rinee Shah is attempting to form a definitive catalogue of the words we share with family and friends.

    Alan White
    by Alan White

    BuzzFeed News Reporter, UK

    A few years ago, I did an illustration project called Seinfood, and my favorite part about it was that people were sharing it with their friends and family because of a shared nostalgia from watching the show together. I was recently watching an old episode of The West Wing, and one of the characters said a strange word and then said he realized that it was probably just a word his mother made up, and it occurred to me that that probably happens to people all the time.

    1. Gotchies.

    Rinee Shah / madeupwordsproject.com

    Underwear. (noun) ghot-chees. "He stripped down to his gotchies"

    - Maura M., Mt. Carmel, Pennsylvania

    2. The Quincy.

    Rinee Shah / madeupwordsproject.com

    A small defect in our bathtub. Like a small brown burn mark (noun) kwin-zee.

    Somehow, it became known as "The Quincy." We tried to avoid touching it. I remember sitting in the tub terrified of it. My mom would say "It's just The Quincy, it won't hurt you."

    - Robbie W., Riverside, California

    3. Chicken milk.

    Rinee Shah / madeupwordsproject.com

    Water (noun) chik-uhn milk. "As a child I only wanted milk, so my dad gave me water but called it chicken milk."

    - Ivan C., Marlboro, New York

    4. Yonies.

    Rinee Shah / madeupwordsproject.com

    Good vibes that you send out. (noun) yoh-nees. "Send good yonies, Timmy's dad is in the hospital."

    - Drew H., Menlo Park, California

    5. Debo.

    Rinee Shah / madeupwordsproject.com

    Large wooden spoon (noun) dee-boh. "Can you hand me the debo so I can stir the soup?"

    - Roseanne O., Libertyville, Illinois

    6. Dupa.

    Rinee Shah / madeupwordsproject.com

    Butt (noun) Doo-pah. "Check your dupa, I think you sat in something."

    - Maura M., Mt. Carmel, Pennsylvania

    7. Barking Spider.

    Rinee Shah / madeupwordsproject.com

    Fart (noun) bahrk-ing spy-der. "Timmy, did you smell that barking spider?"

    - Kevin R., Newport Beach, California

    8. Skonk.

    Rinee Shah / madeupwordsproject.com

    Old person shit-talking during a card game (usually rummy or euchre).

    (verb) skonk. "I'm gonna skonk you!"

    - Tamara L., Prescott, Arizona

    9. Frubie.

    Rinee Shah / madeupwordsproject.com

    Buzzed from drinking, but not drunk. (noun) froo-bee. "I'm feeling a little frubie from that third beer."

    - Matt B., Minneapolis, Minnesota

    10. Schmerfed.

    Rinee Shah / madeupwordsproject.com

    To vomit (verb) sch-merrft. "Timmy schmerfed all over the couch and passed out on the bathroom floor."

    - Jonathan W., Austin, Texas

    11.

    Rinee Shah / madeupwordsproject.com

    You're in trouble! (exc) pah-stuh fah-jaw-law. "My grandma always said it in a raised voice. We thought it was a bad word so we'd say it to other kids at the park when we were mad at them and we always got weird looks. I realized later that it means pasta and beans in Italian. "

    - Katherine R., Playa del Rey, California

    12. Deli-shoes.

    Via Rinee Shah / madeupwordsproject.com

    Delicious (adjective) del-ee shoos. "This hamburger is deli-shoes."

    - David K., Los Angeles, California

    13. Chanks.

    Rinee Shah / madeupwordsproject.com

    Sandals; Spanglish version of the word "chancletas," (noun) changks. "Timmy, put on your chanks, we're going to the beach!"

    - Billy G., Manhattan Beach, California

    14. Bang.

    Rinee Shah / madeupwordsproject.com

    Poop (noun) bang. "The cat made a bang and it's your turn to clean the litter box."

    - Laura S., Palo Alto, California

    15. Geedunks.

    A junky snack food (noun) gee-duhngk. "We've got some geedunks on the kitchen counter if you want a snack."

    - Matt W., San Diego, California

    16. Boss of the Peas.

    Rinee Shah / madeupwordsproject.com

    An authoritative ranking to one-up my mother, who was the self-proclaimed "Boss of the Applesauce (noun) Boss of the pees. "Look who thinks he's Boss of the Peas."

    - Ryan D., Grapevine, Texas