BOOK OF BALDERDASH

(noun) /ˈdɪs.fɪk.ʃən/

Definition: A fabricated or distorted narrative that mixes truth with fiction to deceive, entertain, or confuse.

Etymology:

dis- (Latin: “apart, not”)

fict (Latin fictio: “a shaping, a feigning”)

-ion (Latin: noun-forming suffix indicating action or result)

Example:

The biography was exposed as disfiction—more myth than memory.

Credit: M. Muñoz - Paterson, NJ

(verb) /ˈdɪs.kəˌnɛkt/

Definition: To be connected in an abnormal, grotesque, or absurd way; a disturbing or unnatural link between people, systems, or ideas.

Etymology:

dys- (Greek: “bad, difficult, ill”)

connect

Example:

There’s a DYSconnect between their smiles and their words—like puppets saying sweet things through gritted teeth.

(adj.) /ˈflɛk.ʃu.əl/

Definition: Adaptable and responsive; able to shift fluidly in thought, form, or approach.

Etymology:

flex (Latin flectere: “to bend”)

-ual (adjectival suffix)

Example:

She’s a flexual thinker—she bends without breaking in any situation.

Credit: Najavar Cooks-Wade - Paterson, NJ

(adj.) /fræɡˈmæt.ɪk/

Characterized by fragmented or conflicting thoughts; prone to broken patterns of reasoning or scattered thinking.

Etymology:

frag- (Latin frangere, “to break”)

mat (from Latin mens, mentis, “mind, thought”)

-ic (Greek -ikos, “having to do with”)

Example:

His fragmatic explanation jumped from idea to idea without ever landing on a clear point.

Credit: Amara Decoure - Chicago, IL

(verb) /ˈɡræ.mə.laɪz/

Definition: To impose or invent grammar for language or communication, especially in informal or creative contexts.

Etymology:

gram (Greek gramma, to write)

-ar (pertaining to)

-ize (Greek verb-forming suffix meaning “to make or do”)

Example:

Linguists love to grammalize the new slang before it fully settles.

Credit: Luna Valera - NY, NY

(noun) /ɪmˌpleɪ.mənˈteɪ.ʃən/

Definition: The act or result of implementing something through play; a playful approach to putting an idea into practice.

Etymology:

im- (Latin: “into, in”)

play (Old English plegian: “to move rapidly, frolic”)

-ment (forming nouns denoting action or result)

-ate (Latin -atus: participial ending forming verbs meaning “to make, to act”)

-ion (forming nouns of action or condition)

 Example:

 The playground redesign wasn’t just planned—it was an implaymentation of student-led tinkering, testing, and fun.