# Did Roahl Dahl coin any adjectives that are now part of mainstream English? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 5, 2016, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-roahl-dahl-coin-any-adjectives-that-are-now-part-of-mainstream-english/765085 "2016-09-05T05:20:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-roahl-dahl-coin-any-adjectives-that-are-now-part-of-mainstream-english/765085/21 "2016-09-05T18:37:39Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > I’ve heard “gobstopper” used as a generic term for a jawbreaker, kind of like “Band-Aid” as a generic term for “adhesive bandage,” or “Kleenex” for “disposable paper handkerchief.” That probably required the intervention of the “Wonka” brand candy making a small jawbreaker called a gobstopper, though. The word has a legitimate etymology, though-- sort of “stopping you from gobbling,” by being a candy that necessarily must be eaten slowly, which is certainly what a jawbreaker is. > > ETA: so it’s a noun and not an adjective. Still interesting. “Gobstopper” wasn’t a word invented by Dahl, it’s just what the sweet is known as in the UK. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-roahl-dahl-coin-any-adjectives-that-are-now-part-of-mainstream-english/765085/22 "2016-09-05T18:45:22Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > I’ve heard “gobstopper” used as a generic term for a jawbreaker, kind of like “Band-Aid” as a generic term for “adhesive bandage,” or “Kleenex” for “disposable paper handkerchief.” That probably required the intervention of the “Wonka” brand candy making a small jawbreaker called a gobstopper, though. The word has a legitimate etymology, though-- sort of “stopping you from gobbling,” by being a candy that necessarily must be eaten slowly, which is certainly what a jawbreaker is. > > ETA: so it’s a noun and not an adjective. Still interesting. ‘Gobstopper’ is the British term for hard candy balls. I think the etymology is just from ‘gob’=mouth and ‘stopper’=plug. I don’t think Dahl coined the term - just used it in the ‘everlasting’ context. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-roahl-dahl-coin-any-adjectives-that-are-now-part-of-mainstream-english/765085/23 "2016-09-05T19:15:39Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > ‘Gobstopper’ is the British term for hard candy balls. I think the etymology is just from ‘gob’=mouth and ‘stopper’=plug. And it seems to have been used in some idiomatic phrases back in the 1930s. I’ve spotted [a couple very old German books for English language learners](https://www.google.co.uk/search?sourceid=mozclient&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&q=%22you+want+a+gobstopper%22#q=%22you+want+a+gobstopper%22&tbm=bks) which explain that “You want a gobstopper” is a figure of speech meaning “You talk too much”. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-roahl-dahl-coin-any-adjectives-that-are-now-part-of-mainstream-english/765085/24 "2016-09-05T21:01:10Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > ‘Gobstopper’ is the British term for hard candy balls. I think the etymology is just from ‘gob’=mouth and ‘stopper’=plug. > > I don’t think Dahl coined the term - just used it in the ‘everlasting’ context. Correct. The concept of a gobstopper that lasts forever is meaningless unless you already know what a gobstopper is. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-roahl-dahl-coin-any-adjectives-that-are-now-part-of-mainstream-english/765085/25 "2016-09-14T12:09:10Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > You might start [here](https://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Roald-Dahl-Dictionary-Dictionaries/dp/0192736450). > From what I’m reading (on Dahl’s wiki page) “Scrumdiddlyumptious” is his word. Probably not—the [OED3’s earliest citation for the word](http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/47033957) (spelled “scrumdiddliumptous”) is from a 1942 dictionary of American slang. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-roahl-dahl-coin-any-adjectives-that-are-now-part-of-mainstream-english/765085/26 "2016-09-14T12:14:49Z")
I should add that this month [the OED editors added or updated a number of words connected with Dahl](http://public.oed.com/the-oed-today/recent-updates-to-the-oed/september-2016-update/new-words-notes-september-2016/), though as far as I can tell, only one was actually coined by him. The new or revised entries popularized but not coined by Dahl include _frightsome, scrummy, scrumptious, splendiferous, splendiferousness, scrumdiddlyumptious, human bean,_ and _witching hour_. Unless I’ve missed something, the only new entry coined by Dahl is [_Oompa Loompa_](http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/47064840). ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2016, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-roahl-dahl-coin-any-adjectives-that-are-now-part-of-mainstream-english/765085/27 "2016-09-15T05:25:22Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Now that I think about it, I did once hear a person described as “Getting Oopma Loompaed,” to mean getting eliminated from a competition in an embarrassing way-- kind of the opposite of “unceremoniously.” Some reality shows do this apparently. I thought “Oompa Loompa” referred to anyone with an orange hue and tiny hands… ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2016, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-roahl-dahl-coin-any-adjectives-that-are-now-part-of-mainstream-english/765085/28 "2016-09-15T14:46:46Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > I thought “Oompa Loompa” referred to anyone with an orange hue and tiny hands… **Moderator Note** Let’s avoid political jabs in GQ. No warning issued. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2016, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-roahl-dahl-coin-any-adjectives-that-are-now-part-of-mainstream-english/765085/29 "2016-09-15T15:06:27Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > **Moderator Note** > > Let’s avoid political jabs in GQ. No warning issued. Explain, please. In [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=19630210#post19630210). ---
**Author:** ![eclectic\_wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-roahl-dahl-coin-any-adjectives-that-are-now-part-of-mainstream-english/765085/30 "2016-09-16T12:22:07Z")
Around here an oompa-loompa is someone who wears too much fake tan. No connection to height. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-roahl-dahl-coin-any-adjectives-that-are-now-part-of-mainstream-english/765085/31 "2016-09-16T13:23:14Z")
In the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Willy Wonka’s employees were African pygmys who were paid in cocoa beans (and no, that is not a reference to our current President). IHe would later rewrite the tale for "political correctness,"t was only the later editions that had the Oompah Loompahs. I so wish I still had my first edition copy. ---
**Author:** ![Ornery\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/da6949/32.png) [@Ornery\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ornery_Bob)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-roahl-dahl-coin-any-adjectives-that-are-now-part-of-mainstream-english/765085/32 "2016-09-16T13:59:52Z")
In the movie, The Blind Side, Sandra Bullock’s character refers to a short football player as “Oompa Loompa.” Something like… “It’s the same thing for oompa loompa here, he’s part of the family and you need to protect the family.” (She’s trying to get Michael to see his team mates as his family… that he has a natural instinct to protect.) ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-roahl-dahl-coin-any-adjectives-that-are-now-part-of-mainstream-english/765085/33 "2016-09-16T19:03:06Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > In the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Willy Wonka’s employees were African pygmys who were paid in cocoa beans (and no, that is not a reference to our current President). IHe would later rewrite the tale for "political correctness,"t was only the later editions that had the Oompah Loompahs. I’m pretty sure the pygmies in the original edition _were_ Oompa-Loompas. Dahl later changed the creatures’ physical characteristics and origin, but kept the name the same. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2016, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-roahl-dahl-coin-any-adjectives-that-are-now-part-of-mainstream-english/765085/34 "2016-09-17T03:41:11Z")
He didn’t create, but he popularized the word “gremlin”. ---
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-roahl-dahl-coin-any-adjectives-that-are-now-part-of-mainstream-english/765085/35 "2016-09-19T09:00:20Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > He didn’t create, but he popularized the word “gremlin”. Thanks for that Captain Amazing. Thank you all. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-roahl-dahl-coin-any-adjectives-that-are-now-part-of-mainstream-english/765085/36 "2016-09-19T20:51:18Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > I’m pretty sure the pygmies in the original edition _were_ Oompa-Loompas. Dahl later changed the creatures’ physical characteristics and origin, but kept the name the same. Yes, I’ve read the original version, this is correct. ---
**Author:** ![Noel\_Prosequi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b19c9b/32.png) [@Noel\_Prosequi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noel_Prosequi)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-roahl-dahl-coin-any-adjectives-that-are-now-part-of-mainstream-english/765085/37 "2016-09-20T06:38:18Z")
As to Top Gear’s Stig, I heard that it was originally a term of abuse for new boys at the school attended by Clarkson (Repton). This much is supported by Wiki. I also recall hearing that the origin of the expression was that such boys were originally called “gits”, an insult word of general application in UK English, but staff prohibited its use. So it was reversed to become “Stig”. ---
**Author:** ![Noel\_Prosequi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b19c9b/32.png) [@Noel\_Prosequi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noel_Prosequi)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-roahl-dahl-coin-any-adjectives-that-are-now-part-of-mainstream-english/765085/38 "2016-09-20T06:44:56Z")
As it happens, and entirely co-incidentally, Roald Dahl also attended Repton. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-roahl-dahl-coin-any-adjectives-that-are-now-part-of-mainstream-english/765085.md?page=1)