Vol. 10 · Portmanteaus ·The Victorian portmanteau ·1843
Squirl
squiggle twirl
- Meaning
- An ornamental flourish or curled stroke of the pen.
- Source words
- squiggle + twirl
- Coined by
- unknown
- Year
- 1843
Background
A minor survivor of Victorian calligraphy jargon. Still used in typography and paleography; one of the earliest recorded English portmanteaus in the pattern *squiggle* + *twirl*.
The Victorian portmanteau
Lewis Carroll didn't invent portmanteau-making, but he named the technique and demonstrated it with enough flair that the word-class is often traced to him. Two of the words here are direct Carroll coinages.
Two words, one coinage.
Browse every portmanteau on the shelf — or cross over to the loanwords atlas.