contrafibularities en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Etymology
From contra- + fibular + -ity + -s. From a 1987 episode of the British television comedy Blackadder, after Dr. Samuel Johnson boasts about his newly completed dictionary containing every word in the English language. Blackadder wishes Dr. Johnson his "most enthusiastic contrafibularities", upsetting Johnson, who quickly adds the alleged word to his manuscript.
Meanings
-
(humorous, plural, plural-only, rare) False congratulations, sounding congratulatory while actually pulling someone's leg.
My most enthusiastic contrafibularities go to the world-class HarperCollins construction team.
2011, Neil Strauss, Rules of the Game, →ISBN, page 194:I was a bit obscure with that one. Please accept my most sincere contrafibularities...
2005 November 15, Tsugumi Niyamoto, “Separate Ways”, in alt.games.resident-evil (Usenet):If you don't have time to watch the show itself, here is a taste of Stephen Fry's hosting patter: "the creamily edible Rosamund Pike". A few new words from the Fry lexicon include: "arsewash" and "amazian". Contrafibularities all round!
2015 September 2, Ali Plumb, “BAFTAs 2015: The Winners In Full”, in Empire:
Relateds
frasmotic · compunctuous · pericombobulation · anaspeptic
wikipedia: Samuel Johnson · wikipedia: Blackadder the Third · wikipedia: A Dictionary of the English Language