said-bookism

English

Etymology

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.

Noun

said-bookism (plural said-bookisms)

  1. (authorship, 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".
    • 1980, Harlan Ellison, Shatterday, Houghton Mifflin, Dedication:
      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.
  2. (authorship, uncountable) The studious avoidance, in writing dialogue, of the word "said".
    Synonym: bookism

Translations

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