X marks the spot


While reading a 1960s science fiction anthology this afternoon I came across the adjective papuliferous. It stopped me dead in my tracks but my OED Concise revealed that a papula is a pimple. A quick check via Google took me to wordsmith.org which had selected papuliferous (or papilliferous) as a word of the day and confirmed that it simply means "having pimples".

The author had used it to describe insolent teenagers; I plan to do likewise at the first opportunity.

5 comments:

Acne warrior said...

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JD (The Engine Room) said...

Great word; horrible picture!

Acne warrior: 'Simple for Pimple'? I think you might need to rethink your slogan.

The Ridger, FCD said...

This is the Internet Age - advertise on a UK blog but offer free shipping to US and Canada!

Kasey said...

That photo is REALLY gross.

Apus said...

JD, Kasey, I agree this is a pretty gross pic but believe me, when I Googled images of pimples this was among the prettier examples. Fortunately the sufferer can't see it.

And Acne warrior, JD's right, you could do with a snappier slogan. How about 'hit that zit'... 'dump that lump'... 'spoil that boil'... or maybe 'rot that spot'?