I just remembered the Dr. Seuss example I was trying to think of: grinch, of course.
List of words attributed to Shakespeare which does include assassination but not assassin. Seems he was the first to add that suffix.
I’ve got to agree with this. I’ve never heard “grok” outside the realm of the message board. And even then it is only used by SF nerds who haven’t learnt the English word “comprehend.”
New Orleans rapper Lil’ Wayne was the first recorded person to use the term “bling bling,” in the Hot Boyz’ track of the same name. Bay Area rapper E-40 was, among other things, the first person to use the -izzle suffix on words and he coined the term “pop [one’s] collar” to refer to the practice of wearing one’s shirt collar folded up rather than down. Incidentally, all the terms mention in this paragraph have a far wider usage than “grok” or “waldo.”
Only time I’ve ever heard/seen “Stepford wives” used in a sentence not actually discussing the movie was in the box copy for one of Richard Simmons’ Sweatin’ to the Oldies videos. (Sometimes you get bored enough to read anything . . .) Rosemary’s Baby? Never yet.
Check out Wikipedi’s Shakespear’s list of words (all words verified by the Oxford English Dictionary) for an impressive list of invented or reformed words.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_words_invented_by_Shakespeare