I couldn’t help but notice the estimable Jason Scott‘s profane and precise review of the new(ish) US passport design, not least for his use of the word “glurge.” I completely agree, and the RFID chip makes me sad, too.
The Mac’s dictionary app drew an amusing blank, and the OSPD claims ignorance of glurge.
It turns out that glurge comes from Snopes.com, the great debunking website. I quote therefrom:
Glurge is a term specific to snopes.com, coined in 1998… The word was invented by Patricia Chapin, a member of the urban legends discussion mailing list run in conjunction with this site. At a loss for words to describe the retching sensation this then-unnamed category of stories subjected her to, she fashioned a word that simultaneously named the genre and described its effect.
Glurge … is the body of inspirational tales which conceal much darker meanings than the uplifting moral lessons they purport to offer, and which undermine their messages by fabricating and distorting historical fact in the guise of offering “true stories.” Glurge often contains such heart-tugging elements as sad-eyed puppies, sweet-faced children, angels, dying mothers, or miraculous rescues brought about by prayer. These stories are meant to be parables for modern times but fall far short of the mark.
So now you know.