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A.Word.A.Day--bling-bling

Pronunciation Sound Clip RealAudio

It's time for The Reduplicatives. That could be the name of a rock band -- the one known for razzle-dazzle and a hoity-toity demeanor. They come in pairs, have a little chit-chat, and then hurry-scurry off to their next go-go gig.

Reduplicatives are words formed when a term is either repeated exactly (as in bonbon), or with a slight variation in the vowel (as in ping-pong), or consonant (as in higgledy-piggledy). This process of compound word formation is known as reduplication.

So let's not shilly-shally or be wishy-washy but look at a mish-mash of such super-duper terms, sometimes also called ricochet words, this week.

bling-bling (bling-bling) noun

Expensive, flashy jewelry or other items.
Also bling.

[From hip-hop slang, apparently imitative of the sounds of the clanging jewelry, or of the light reflecting from them.]

-Anu Garg (garg wordsmith.org)

"I did make casual mention of some jewelry shop offering easy payment scheme options, but really, it doesn't take bling-bling to bring me bliss." Fenny Aprilin Tanza; Not-so-merry Anniversary; The Star (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia); Nov 18, 2006.

X-Bonus

To find a person who will love you for no reason, and to shower that person with reasons, that is the ultimate happiness. -Robert Brault, software developer, writer (1938- )

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