Bon Mots

From the first time I heard this word, I was smitten. Not only does it just have a wonderful sound to it (port-man-toe) but its meaning is so cool. It’s a meshing of two words.  Or as this source describes it, “a word formed by blending sounds from two or more distinct words and combining their meanings.”  Some common examples are “suitcase”, a case for holding suits, “smog” a combination of smoke and fog. And the less glamorous, “spork” an implement found in many school cafeterias, which combines a spoon and a fork. Years ago heard an NPR story on portmanteau and highly recommend it if you can find it. Do you have a favorite portmanteau?