said-bookism en · NOUN
Etymology
From The Said Book + -ism; coined by James Blish, writing under the pen name William Atheling Jr., after The Said Book, the title of a booklet for aspiring writers listing countless alternatives to the word “said” in writing dialogue.
Meanings
-
(rare) A verb (such as "explained", "shouted", or "uttered") used to indicate dialogue when writing fiction, chosen so as to avoid using the word "said".
Jim Blish once dedicated a book to me. He introduced me to the music of Charles Ives, to the taste of Vander Flip, to the urgency of avoiding the said-bookism, to the concept of the watershed, to the pleasures of Indo-Ceylonese food.
1980, Harlan Ellison, Shatterday, Houghton Mifflin, Dedication
- (uncountable) The studious avoidance, in writing dialogue, of the word "said".
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| said-bookisms | Number=Plur | lexicographic |