I see several definitions purporting that "insegrevious" was invented in the 1980s. Absolutely not true. Gary Owens used this regularly on his KMPC radio show in Los Angeles, which I used to listen to avidly as a boy every weekday evening in the early 1960s. His sign-off was "Insegreviously yours, Gary Owens". By the time I entered junior high school in 1968 I had heard him use "insegrevious" so enough I had begun using it myself to kid around with my classmates. This predated Rowan and Martin´s "Laugh In" (which started in 1968), on which Gary Owens played himself and again often used "insegrevious"), by several years. Regarding the idea that Adam West first used the word in a 1967 episode of "Batman" (which I also watched regularly as a boy), this hardly seems likely. The Gary Owens radio show was immensely popular in LA, and I would bet my bottom dollar that West (or the Batman writers) picked it up from there.
Now, whether Gary Owens picked it up from somewhere else prior to his years at KMPC (starting in 1962), I wouldn´t know.
And of course it is merely a nonsense word, probably coined by Owens to poke fun at people who used words they didn´t actually understand.
Now, whether Gary Owens picked it up from somewhere else prior to his years at KMPC (starting in 1962), I wouldn´t know.
And of course it is merely a nonsense word, probably coined by Owens to poke fun at people who used words they didn´t actually understand.
by Sherman Oaks June 11, 2017
From the Batman television series, 1967 episode "That Darn Catwoman" in which Commisioner Gordon holds his desk phone up to the Batphone to let Catwoman speak to Batman. Batman tells Catwoman: "Catwoman, I find you to be odious, abhorrent, and insegrevious."
by galaxip January 16, 2011
Nonsense word, primarily used as an adjective but meaning whatever the speaker wants it to mean. Invented by legendary KMPC DJ Gary Owens in the 60s. He used this, along with several others like "creeble" and "grelb," during his radio show, but none were as popular as "insegrevious", which was briefly included in the Funk & Wagnalls Dictionary (until they found out they'd been duped). This in turn gave rise to the phrase "look that up in your Funk & Wagnalls", heard often on Laugh-In, on which Gary was the hand-on-the-ear announcer in the booth.
The other story about Chuck Ferguson and "Simon Says" is clearly wrong, as Laugh-In started in 1968 and "insegrevious" and the Funk & Wagnalls listing had already happened then. The "Simon Says" pilot didn't happen until 1971.
The other story about Chuck Ferguson and "Simon Says" is clearly wrong, as Laugh-In started in 1968 and "insegrevious" and the Funk & Wagnalls listing had already happened then. The "Simon Says" pilot didn't happen until 1971.
by RickBrant July 12, 2012
(adjective) : eliciting irritation or disgust.
(Nonsense word invented in the 1960s by TV comedian/announcer Gary Owens)
(Nonsense word invented in the 1960s by TV comedian/announcer Gary Owens)
by BonzoGal June 17, 2008
Insegrevious: It's true that during late 1969 and early 70's, comedian Gary Owens used the word "insegrevious" during segments of George Schlatter's "Laugh In" television show then airing on NBC.
While Gary maybe was the first person to use "insegrevous" on television, he didn't create the word but overheard it being used by Chuck Ferguson who was using the word in his "Simon Says" audience warm-up routine for Golden West Broadcasting.
In truth, the word came about during a 1986 creative writing assignment at Moorpark College. The English professor was Michael Strumpf and his class assignment was to "... come up with a catch-all word that can be used for virtually any part of speech and mean virtually anything you want it to mean."
Chuck still continues to use this word even today and has been known to use it in a variety of situations including law school examinations, in business proposals, loan and employment applications, job resume', business lectures and seminars, even when testifying in Court!?
The definition of the word is most affected by the manner in which it's communicated, e.g., other words to which it's affiliated, tone and voice inflection, coupled with facial expression and gestures.
Noteworthy is that in the last four decades, Chuck's use of the word has been challenged only once! The girls name was Tammy and she was 11 years old.
While Gary maybe was the first person to use "insegrevous" on television, he didn't create the word but overheard it being used by Chuck Ferguson who was using the word in his "Simon Says" audience warm-up routine for Golden West Broadcasting.
In truth, the word came about during a 1986 creative writing assignment at Moorpark College. The English professor was Michael Strumpf and his class assignment was to "... come up with a catch-all word that can be used for virtually any part of speech and mean virtually anything you want it to mean."
Chuck still continues to use this word even today and has been known to use it in a variety of situations including law school examinations, in business proposals, loan and employment applications, job resume', business lectures and seminars, even when testifying in Court!?
The definition of the word is most affected by the manner in which it's communicated, e.g., other words to which it's affiliated, tone and voice inflection, coupled with facial expression and gestures.
Noteworthy is that in the last four decades, Chuck's use of the word has been challenged only once! The girls name was Tammy and she was 11 years old.
Speaking of philanthropy, she's probably one of the insegrevious people in America's charitable circles today.
The cops have reason to believe that the suspect is a known insegreviate.
While the idea was insegreviously accepted by most, there remained a few who still needed to be persuaded.
Your Honor, it was just one of those insegrevious situations for which I have no excuse!
Insegreviology: The study of anything ... or nothing at all!
The cops have reason to believe that the suspect is a known insegreviate.
While the idea was insegreviously accepted by most, there remained a few who still needed to be persuaded.
Your Honor, it was just one of those insegrevious situations for which I have no excuse!
Insegreviology: The study of anything ... or nothing at all!
by KLNi News Service April 27, 2009
No real meaning, only a slightly negative conotation. The word was invented by High School teacher Brent Cirves in 1980 and now shows up on 143 google searchs!
That is isegrevious!
by Philip McCray February 17, 2005
by Whois_Otterboy July 14, 2009