Thread: Suburban Lengthed?

I've heard someone saying 'suburban lengthed' referring to something that is very long. Is that a common saying or it was just that man's?

If there is such a slang term, would I be right to guess that it is somehow referring to a Chevrolet Suburban?

I don't think it's a common term. I don't think "lengthed" is entirely a word.. kind of a made-up-on-the-spot word..

Sounds like it might have been used, to describe something being as long as a (Chevrolet) Suburban? Or else, trying to say that a certain area is as long as a suburb?? the second one seems unlikely..

I think this was really just one guy's phrase, and I think it sounds better as "suburban-length" .. but that's just me. =)

[deleted]

Originally Posted by chaika

Nothing wrong with the verb "lengthen." Without CONTEXT who knows what the phrase means. The hits from Google refer to a Chevy Suburban truck (or SUV if you like).

Fair play, "lengthen" is proper . . . but, when would anyone ever say "Suburban-lengthen?" It sounds like one of those old AOL passwords, where they put a noun with a nonsensical verb, like "indigo-indemnify" and "lodestone-lathe" =))

I can think of one hypothetical sentence where "suburban-lengthed" might refer to the physical properties of the suburbs, and not to the size of the Chevrolet Suburban:

"It's difficult to be without a car in a typical American suburb, especially when one considers the suburban-lengthed distances between a residential-zoned street and the nearest commercial district with a shopping center."

The meaning here is that (stereo)typical American suburbs are very spread out physically, and not very "pedestrian friendly," because everything is far apart. Also, in the suburbs, residential streets are often deliberately separated from commercial streets as a noise-reduction measure. Thus, if you live in the suburbs, the nearest grocery store might be 20-25 minutes away пешком. (But in an urban neighborhood such as Brooklyn, NY, it might take you less than five minutes to walk to the grocery store -- everything is closer together.)

P.S. I speak from personal experience, as someone who formerly lived in Brooklyn, but who now lives in the "stereotypical American suburb" of Fairfax!

Is that a common saying or it was just that man's?

I would consider "suburban-lengthed" to be a classic example of a "nonce formation" -- i.e., it belongs only to the speaker, although the meaning is more or less understandable to everyone else.

P.S. According to ru.wikipedia, Russian linguists refer to a "nonce" usage as an окказионализм.

OK, I misread the original word. Gonna delete my first post if I can.