Canuck
Well-Known Member
Growing up, ginormous was always used jokingly, when it was the intent to sound silly or absurd. People using it seriously is something I find more than a little disturbing.
That's a common reaction when new words arise, especially when they combine two more commonly used words to fill a void. Your kids won't find it silly or absurd. The silliness part of the word will be weeded out as generations pass. It's silly to say "google it" too, a shorter and more defined way than saying "research it on the internet" but our kids don't find anything silly about it. Then there's "Yahoo", a made-up word invented by Jonathan Swift in his book Gulliver's Travels. People looked at that word as silly and absurd too, but then it became an accepted way to refer to someone who is very rude, loud, or stupid, until more recently where it has also become a well-known company. And the list goes on and on.
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