• drainchild •
Pronunciation: drayn-chaild • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: An innovative idea that would be a brainchild except that it drains funds or other resources from where they could otherwise be useful or, as one wag put it, "a tiresome nagging brainless idea that sucks money out of a corporation".
Notes: Since alphaDictionary has a special section for them, I don't usually suggest a "sniglet" for a Good Word. However, this word is good enough to break a rule or two for. But if you have more than one drainchild, do you have drainchilds or drainchildren? Since the reference here is not an actual child, some people prefer drainchilds (brainchilds) to the more common drainchildren (brainchildren). The same issue is raised with mouse when it refers to the computer peripheral. Mouses occurs 1,790,000 times currently on the Web, indicating a significant portion of the population associates the irregular plural of that word strictly with actual mice. We will let time decide.
In Play: Today's word was created by analogy with brainchild to refer to a bright idea that backfires and costs more than it is worth: "The company was doing fine until we acted on the boss's drainchild to build a vacation villa for employees in Alabama." The facetious contrast between the meaning of this word and its analogy, brainchild begs for verbal mischief: "Whose drainchild was it to put a heat activated self-flushing bidet in the staff bathroom?"
Word History: No one seems to know much about the origin of drain. It has been with us since Old English but for about 500 years (11th to 16th century) it was not printed though it must have been spoken since it did reappear in print at the end of that span. Child is also an oddity. In other Germanic languages the middle consonant tends to be N, as in German Kind (plural Kinder), which English borrowed in Kindergarten). Originally the plural of child was just child (like the plurals of deer and fish). But by late Old English, an R had been added and the plural in Middle English was childer or childre, a form still heard in Shropshire, Leicester, and Lincolnshire. However, by the end of the Middle English period, an -en had been added by analogy with brethren.
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- Grand Panjandrum
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Re: DRAINCHILD
So Germanic -er plus Germanic -en!?... Originally the plural of child was just child (like the plurals of deer and fish). But by late Old English, an R had been added and the plural in Middle English was childer or childre, a form still heard in Shropshire, Leicester, and Lincolnshire. However, by the end of the Middle English period, an -en had been added by analogy with brethren.
Well, put them kids in the double-Deutsch bus then!
An interesting evolution, Doc. We must tell our dronechildrens.
PS where exactly is this "special sniglet" section forsooth?
Stop! Murder us not, tonsured rumpots! Knife no one, fink!
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- Grand Panjandrum
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Oh no, sounds like a longer one (as Germans are wont to make) but you do remind me of another more interesting word that I shall place in WoodGird Suggestions forthwith...would this be the short bus then?Well, put them kids in the double-Deutsch bus then!
mark as-soon-as-you-get-older-you're-once-again-short-bus-fodder Bailey
(can't mention it here, that would be offtopic)
Stop! Murder us not, tonsured rumpots! Knife no one, fink!
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