brillig

English

Alternative forms

• bryllyg

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈbɹɪ.lɪɡ/
• enPR: brĭʹlĭg
• Hyphenation: BRI(L)-lig

Etymology

Supposedly from bryl or broil.

Noun

brillig (uncountable)

1. A nonce word in Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky, explained by Humpty Dumpty as "four o'clock in the afternoon — the time when you begin broiling things for dinner."

   'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves / Did gyre and gimble in the wabe — Lewis Carroll, Jabberwocky.

Translations

nonce word

• French: brilgue (fr)
• German: brillig (de)

• Portuguese: briluz (pt) f

See also

• Brillig on Wikipedia.Wikipedia