zlacker

Exactly. This curmudgeonly proposal that ones vocabulary remain immutable is for the dags and curs whose life has not been rewarded by the virtues of newly discovered language.

>>boffin+(OP)
Making up words is fun for the writer, but it often not fun for the reader. Like the popular perception of poetry. Few people have a deep knowledge of their own language or other languages, so their inventions come across as childish.

Your own usage of “dags” is frustrating because as a reader from Australasia, “dag” has a common meaning. Example usages: “You’re a dag”, “Fred Dagg”, “rattle your dags”, “clean up those daggy sheep”. And back on topic, the common meaning in Australasia is not mentioned in the online American Merriam-Webster dictionary!

>>boffin+(OP)
I guess I should have emphasized that the operative phrase was

> getting a feel for how it's naturally being used.