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Word of the Episode: Libfix
Definition: A “libfix” is a liberated suffix—when part of a word (often mistaken as a suffix) gets reanalyzed and reused as a suffix for other words.
- Examples:
- -gate (from Watergate): now used to mean “scandal” (e.g., Pizzagate, Elsagate).
- -core (from hardcore): extended to music genres or aesthetics (metalcore, cottagecore, tropicore in Animal Crossing).
- -holic (from alcoholic): becomes workaholic, shopaholic.
- -cation (from vacation): staycation, workcation.
- -punk (from cyberpunk): steampunk, dieselpunk, etc.
- Etymology: Libfix = “liberated suffix.” Differs from a normal suffix since it wasn’t originally a suffix but part of a fuller word, later “liberated” and reused.
Life Updates & Topics
- Busy Fall Schedule: School, Cub Scouts, pool duties.
- Pool Management Issue:
- Community pool requires a lifeguard if the diving board is installed.
- Volunteers (including hosts) now manage a daily routine: install board after school, remove it at night, reinstall next afternoon.
- A bit taxing, but lifeguards are mostly teens with limited availability.
- They agreed to extend the pool season through September with a lighter schedule (lifeguards only on weekends).
- Confusion often arises between “the board” (diving board) and “the board” (volunteer board members).
- Cub Scouts Popcorn Fundraising:
- Parents handling coordination after the original volunteer stepped away.
- Tedious process: tracking online/offline sales, money, inventory.
- Kids learning communication, confidence, and perseverance.
- Anecdotes:
- A child received a $100 donation that “made their year.”
- Their own youngest lost 2 teeth in one day, prompting a Tooth Fairy dilemma (kids value two $1 bills over a single $5 bill).
- Scouts sometimes value donations more than sales; one donor even purchased a popcorn bag just to give it directly to the child.
Closing Thoughts
- Language Takeaway: Libfixes shape much of modern slang, aesthetics, and genre naming.
- Life Takeaway: Volunteer work (pool duties, Scouts) and small acts of generosity make outsized impacts.
- Episode was kept shorter than usual due to their busy lives, but they promise more typical-length conversations when time allows.
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Any views expressed on this podcast are those solely of the hosts and is for entertainment purposes only. None of the content is medical advice or financial advice.
Special thanks to Tim Wright aka CoLD SToRAGE for his permission to use the song Operatique.
