Friday, August 12, 2011

Rhinotillexomania and Other Delights

Some words are around that denote rude or unseemly behavior, in the eyes of many.  However, there must be a word for those actions.  In a perverse way, I find their existence nice: it allows for the action to be described while maintaining some psychological distance and dispassionateness.  And to be lady-like when one must confront the gross.  (I'm a student of psychology.)

Rhinotillexomania is one such word.  It refers to "nose-picking."   I purposely did not include an illustrative cartoon to go with this word.

Here's some other ones, coming from abnormal psychology:

1) mucophagy -- snot eating [Elem Ed majors get used to this.]

2) flatus -- a fart
[Are there superannuated flatuses?]

3) vomitus -- the product of a vomit

4) rumination syndrome -- vomiting, following by the reconsumption of the vomitus
[Yuk!]

5) frottage -- sexually rubbing against another  [Isn't that better than the popular expression "dry humping"?]

6) coprophagia -- feces eating
[Therefore, you know what a coprophagic smirk is.]

3 comments:

Meredith said...

Those are some interesting words.

Bilbo said...

I got a cold stare from my sister one time when I referred to her car - a Dodge Stratus - as a Dodge Flatus. And this post is only the second time I have ever seen the word "frottage" used ... the other was in Thomas Harris's novel "Hannibal," describing the activities of the visitors to a sexually suggestive display of (no kidding) torture instruments. Finally, you can bet that I will find an opportunity to use the term "coprophagic smirk!" Great post!

eViL pOp TaRt said...

Thank you, Meredith and Bilbo. You know, people are particularly chauvinistic or defensive about their rides! As for the smirk term, they use the more basic one often around here!