Style Invitational Week 1241: Less taste, more fill-in — our not-crossword Choose up to 25 words to fill in as you like and define them; plus winning fake word origins (Grid by Evan Birnholz/DevilCross.com) By Pat Myers By Pat Myers Entertainment August 17 at 11:04 AM Follow @PatMyersTWP // (Click here to skip down <#report> to the fake portmanteau word derivations) ** *59 Across/(originally “noisemaker”)/: MOIST TATER: Menu euphemism for “our fries are always soggy”* *59 Across: NO ISN’T A YES: First rule taught at this year’s freshman orientation *At least once a year since 2006, we’ve presented you with a filled-in crossword grid and asked you to supply your own creative clues for words in the puzzle; this year you’ll see it probably around Christmastime. Meanwhile, the Empress offers the third go-round (after 2010 and 2014) of this oddball variation. The grid pictured here is the solution to a puzzle by Washington Post Sunday crossword constructor Evan Birnholz, from his website Devil Cross — with one little difference: Evan has whited out a bunch of the letters so that you can*give us a novel clue for any word or phrase in which the remaining letters fit,* across or down, as in the two examples above for the same set of letters. *NOTE: Your word doesn’t have to cross with the other words; *just think about individual across or down words. You may use a real word, name or multi-word phrase or coin a new one. Please begin each entry with the location of the first square (e.g. “14 Down”). The limit is, as usual, 25 entries; you can send us 25 words or 25 entries for one word — the Empress is easy that way. Your clue need not be as short as the ones for real crosswords but shouldn’t be more than eight or 10 words. Submit entries at this website: *wapo.st/enter-invite-1241* (all lowercase). Winner gets the *Inkin’ Memorial ,* the Lincoln statue bobblehead that is the official Style Invitational trophy — one of the last few before we come out with a new design. Second place receives a solar-powered hand-waving baby Buddha, complete with offensively silly grin — the kind you’ll see at the cashier’s stand at a Thai restaurant. Found in Madrid, of all places, by Roy and Inge Ashley. *Other runners-up *win our “You Gotta Play to Lose” Loser Mug or our Grossery Bag, “I Got a B in Punmanship.” Honorable mentions get one of our lusted-after Loser magnets, “No Childishness Left Behind” or “Magnum Dopus.” First Offenders receive only a smelly tree-shaped air “freshener” (FirStink for their first ink). Deadline is Monday night, Aug. 28; results published Sept. 17 (online Sept. 10). See general contest rules and guidelines at wapo.st/InvRules . The headline for this week’s results is by Barbara Turner; the honorable-mentions subhead is by Nan Reiner. Join the Style Invitational Devotees group on Facebook at /on.fb.me/invdev ./ “Like” Style Invitational Ink of the Day on Facebook at bit.ly/inkofday ; follow @StyleInvite on Twitter. *The Style Conversational *The Empress’s weekly online column, published late Thursday afternoon, discusses each new contest and set of results. Especially if you plan to enter, check it out at wapo.st/styleconv . And from The Style Invitational four weeks ago . . . *LEXICONNED: FAKE PORTMANTEAU WORDS FROM WEEK 1236* In *Week 1236 *(delayed a week by the out-of-order results of Week 1237), the Empress asked you to explain — entirely falsely — that a particular word was derived from a combination of two or more other words. 4th place: *Harmony: *Combining *“harsh” and “alimony.”* “After the divorce, all she wanted was some harmony in her life.” (Mark Raffman, Reston, Va.) 3rd place: *Kale:* From *“kaka” and “vegetable,”* as in “These chips taste like kale.” (Jesse Frankovich, Grand Ledge, Mich.) 2nd place and the poop emoji pool raft : *Vote:* From *“vomit-salute,”* or react from the gut. “Last November, like many Americans, I went to the polls and voted.” (Kevin Dopart, Washington) And the winner of the Inkin’ Memorial: *Commit = “completely” and “admit”:*“Thou shalt not commit adultery.” (Chris Doyle, Denton, Tex.) ** Meh-tymologies: Honorable mentions *Banter = “banal” + “chatter”:* The “Morning Joe” show is known for the banter between its two stars. (Mark Raffman) *Metro: *Verb combining *“met” and “zero,”* meaning “failed to live up to expectations.” “Why didn’t you show up for our date last night?” “I metroed.” (Duncan Stevens, Vienna, Va.) *Covfefe:* A combination of *“coverage,” “strife” and “more strife.”* (Jesse Frankovich) *Baba ganoush:* The name for the gooey eggplant spread comes from Arabic for *“grandmother” + “sneezed.”* (Barbara Turner, Takoma Park, Md.) *Braces = “bras (for) faces,”* since they are worn in the inside, to hold things in place and keep those things from pointing every which way. (Hildy Zampella, Falls Church, Va.) *Huge = “hubristic” + “garbage,”* as in “Believe me, it’s gonna be huge!” (Jesse Frankovich) *Climate:* Combination of *“climb” and “fabricate,”* which is how you know not to believe any of those reports that temperatures are rising. — J. Inhofe (Duncan Stevens) *Constipation: “constant” + “anticipation.* (Barbara Turner) *Coitus = “co-” + “it” + us”: *The transformation of two individuals into a single beast, albeit one with two backs. (Gary Crockett, Chevy Chase, Md.) *College = “colossal” + “privilege”: *“The college kids complained about having to take exams the day after the election.” (Mark Raffman) *Complex = “complete” + “excrement”: *An adjective used increasingly by political leaders. “Our health care bill is complex, so you should pass it immediately, without reading it. Trust us, it’s great.” (Lorraine Hricik McMillan, Alexandria, Va.) *Congress = “constantly” + “regress”: *“Congress — on a steady course.” (Mark Raffman) *Healthy:* Combines *“hot” and “wealthy”: *“Really, all I want is a guy who’s healthy.” (Chris Doyle) *Cupid:* A combination of *“cute” and “stupid.”* “Once again, Cupid got me right in the, um, heart.” (Beverley Sharp, Montgomery, Ala.) *Glamour* comes from Anglo-Norman slang, from the phrase *“egg l’amour,”* or “If you were an egg, I’d get you over easy.” (Barbara Turner) *Implant:* Surgical procedure derived from*“implausibly” and “buoyant.”* (Duncan Stevens) *Peon:* Combination of *“pee” and “on.” *Duh. (Warren Tanabe, Annapolis, Md.) *Respects =* *“resents” + “inspects”: *“Nobody respects women more than me.” (Chris Doyle) *Skins = skinflint + morons.* “The Skins failed to reach a long-term deal with Kirk Cousins.” (Mark Raffman) *Congrats: * Like “baad” becoming “good,” this early American insult that *likened national legislators to rodents *became a word of celebration. (Ken Gallant, Conway, Ark.) *Dinner: * Combination of *“dalliance” and “sinner,”* which is why you have to be very, very careful about your dinner partner. — M. Pence (Duncan Stevens) *Latte:* From*“lather” and “waste.” *“In 1842, Ishmael Balena, a Venetian barber, invented the latte.” (Kevin Dopart) *Guru:* From *“guy (with) rupees.”* From the ancient Indian belief that being really rich means being really smart. (Warren Tanabe) *Stud: “stupid” + “clod.” *“All the Miss Universe contestants told Donald he was such a stud.” (Kevin Dopart) *Still running — deadline Monday night, Aug. 21: our contest for limericks featuring “gh-” and “gi-” words. See wapo.st/invite1240. *