#@arbitrix

[wordbirds]

HORRORSCOPE

(N.) 'hor-rur-skōp  A negative horoscope prediction that spooks you, making you fear the immediate future. Usage: Dave wished he hadn't read the astrological forecast for Scorpio in the paper the morning of his big speech. He'd been feeling upbeat until the horrorscope told him that Mercury was in retrograde, and that Scorpios would be tongue-tied for two weeks.

—§ A TUMBLER WORDBIRDS CONTEST CONTENDER

[wordbirds]

KIDITZER

(N.)  'kid-its-sur  A meddling busybody whose tells other people how to raise their children; derived from the Yiddish expression "kibitz" (to interfere). Usage: When an overbearing kiditzer at the park scolded Geoff that he ought to have dressed his daughter more warmly, he retorted, "I don't appreciate kiditzing—not from my mother-in-law, and certainly not from a total stranger." Fuming, he scooped Tabitha up and went to another playground. Also (v.) Kiditz

—§ A TUMBLER WORDBIRDS CONTEST CONTENDER

[wordbirds]

AUDIAURA

(N.) awd-ee-'or-ra  The image you have in your head of how a person looks, based only on his or her voice. Usage: "Oh!" Alma said in disappointment, when she met her editor for the first time, after months of talking on the phone. "I'm surprised you're a blonde! Your audiaura was brunette."

[wordbirds]

MISHEGGIFT

(N.) 'mish-a-'gift  A crazy, horrible experience that has an unexpected positive result on your life. USAGE: Alden nearly drowned when his cruise ship sank—many passengers died. But when he turned his survival story into a best-selling book, he realized that the disaster had been a misheggift in disguise.

—§ A TUMBLER WORDBIRDS CONTEST CONTENDER

[wordbirds]

PRANG

(N.) 'prang  Person who dresses in paintbox colors, often favoring one in particular.  Usage: Elsa Schiaparelli liked shocking pink, Tiger Woods was known for wearing red on Sundays, but Brian was a fanatical purple prang;  he wore something purple every day, whether it was a whole outfit or just a pair of grape-colored high-tops.

-§ A TUMBLR WORDBIRDS CONTEST contender

[wordbirds]

PREVARIDATE

(V.) pruh-'vair-i-dayt  To waffle about your age. Usage: When she was asked how old she was, the singer always prevaridated, saying she grew up in the MTV era, but leaving her date of birth vague. 

-§ A TUMBLR WORDBIRDS CONTEST contender

[wordbirds]

DORIAN

(N.) 'dor-ree-un  A photograph that proves to you how much worse you look than you think you look. (Inspired by the "Portrait of Dorian Gray," which recorded the title character's decay on canvas). Usage: After seeing his bloated visage pop up in a handful of dorians on Facebook, Bryce untagged all the photos, and embarked on a crash diet.

[wordbirds]

MORPHIATTO

(N.) 'mor-fee-ot-to  One of those rogue cups of coffee which, instead of making you more alert, acts like a knock-out drop and sends you into dreamland. Also CAFE CON LETHE (kaf-'fay-kon-'lee-thee). Usage: Cramming the night before a 9 a.m. midterm, Jim slugged back a mug of strong coffee at 2 a.m. ...only to wake up petrified, six hours later, to realize he'd been done in by a morphiatto.