Hesthographomania
Q. I live in an area rife with tourists. A walk along Front Street will take you past many stores selling T-shirts and caps with town slogans on them. My question is, is there a word for this touristy compulsion to buy and wear clothing emblazoned with place names?
A. My personal favorite is, “If it’s tourist season, why can’t we shoot them?” but the Chamber of Commerce isn’t amused. I’m not aware of any such word, but why not make one up?
My Word Parts Dictionary lists -mania as a compulsion or craving, grapho- as a term for marking or printing, and hestho- as a word part meaning clothing or dress. So get out there in conversation and in writing and promote the word hesthographomania: a touristy compulsion to buy and wear clothing emblazoned with place names.
If you manage to get it in print, please let me know.
SIDEBAR: U. S. Department of State Travel Warnings
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