Second-hand Suffixes Sprinkle Our Language with Fun
DEAR RICHARD: Have you ever explored the phenomenon I call “parasitic suffixes”? I can bring just two to mind: -athon and -aholic, taken, of course, from marathon and alcoholic. From the first we get telethon, shopathon, singathon, begathon, and so on. From the second suffix we derive word, such as chocoholic, shopaholic, and workaholic. Do […]