Jabberwocky
Nonsensical babble, invented
Jabberwocky is a nonsense poem by Lewis Carroll, published in *Through the Looking-Glass* (1871).
The poem describes a hero slaying a fearsome creature called the Jabberwock, using invented words that have become touchstones for playful language: "Twas brillig, and the slithy toves / Did gyre and gimble in the wabe." Several of Carroll's coinages, including "chortle" and "galumph," entered standard English. (Lowercase jabberwocky means nonsensical language generally.)
- nonsense verseIntentionally illogical poetry
- AliceCommon female name
- brilligInvented twilight hour
- mimsyUnhappy and weak
gyre · gimble · slithy · frabjous · vorpal · whiffling · burbled · beamish
Wildly illogical
- fancifulImaginatively unrealistic
- quirkyIdiosyncratically unusual
- surrealDreamlike and strange
- bizarreStrikingly unconventional
playful · eccentric · fantastical · dreamlike · imaginative · nonsensical · strange · curious
Word combining two others
- chortleGleeful, breathy laugh
- galumphWalk heavily and clumsily
- coinageInvented term or currency
- playful languageHumorous verbal expression
Lewis Carroll
- nonsense verseIntentionally illogical poetry
- AliceCommon female name
- brilligInvented twilight hour
mimsy · gyre · gimble · slithy · frabjous · vorpal · whiffling · burbled · beamish · snicker-snack
absurd
Wildly illogical
bizarre · playful · eccentric · fantastical · dreamlike · imaginative · nonsensical · strange · curious · peculiar
portmanteau
Word combining two others
monster
Frightening imaginary creature
jaws · wings · fangs · talons · burbling · slain · beheading · galumphed · fearsome · lair
- PoemsThe Raven, Ozymandias, Invictus, Paradise Lost, Beowulf
- Coined Wordschortle, galumph, nerd, robot, quark
- Lewis CarrollAlice in Wonderland, Cheshire, Queen of Hearts, Humpty Dumpty, White Queen
- Terry GilliamBrazil, The Fisher King, 12 Monkeys
- Narrative PoemsThe Raven, Annabel Lee, Gunga Din, Edward, Lenore
Jabberwockyplain English
Unadorned, accessible wording
clear prose · technical writing · legal language · standard language · dictionary definition
Jabberwockynaturalism
Worldview excluding the supernatural
Hemingway · kitchen sink realism · realist fiction · minimalism · confessional poetry