Last time, I asked for a word for people who walk their dog, pick up the waste in a bag, and leave the bag for others to deal with. I received a literal torrent (kidding!) of responses to that challenge, nary a one expressing approval of this practice and many of them strongly worded.
I heard from a couple of people who have more than a passing acquaintance with the problem. Joel Angiolillo, of Weston, wrote: “When not submitting words to ‘May I Have a Word,’ I serve as a board officer for the Weston Forest and Trail Association. Perhaps our major issue is bagged and unbagged doggie gifts in the woods and on the trails.”
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And Chris Redfern, the executive director of the Friends of the Middlesex Fells Reservation, reported: “Volunteer participatory scientists at the Middlesex Fells and the Blue Hills have been recording this phenomenon at our respective parks in collaboration with Earthwise Aware. Thousands of instances of ‘left-behind’ poop bags have been documented.”
Some readers with suggestions for the wanted word were mild in their rebukes. Rich Blair, of Grafton, N.H., wrote: “My first impulse is to lean Shakespearean and propose wastrels.”
Jonathan Winickoff proposed doo-dropper and helpfully used it in a sentence: “My neighbor is such a doo-dropper, she’s always leaving little green bags on my lawn.”
Debbie Levine, of Stoughton, wanted to call such a person a ne’er-doo-doo-well. Kyle McGrath, of Cambridge, suggested that they’re a soilsport.
My eminent colleague Jeff Jacoby, however, neatly summed up the feelings of the majority when he wrote: “Of course there’s a word for them. Several, in fact. But most are unprintable.”
Indeed I did receive many unprintable responses — thanks all the same, people! — but also a few that stepped up to the line of unprintability without quite crossing it.
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“Shlitterbugs,” suggested Nancy O’Leary, of Gloucester. “Sh-tbags,” proposed Karen Kenny, of Manchester-by-the-Sea. Need I go on?
A number of readers used the word scofflaw in their messages, and a few took it as their inspiration. As it happens, that coinage arose from a Prohibition-era contest — held in Boston exactly a century ago! — that sought a term for “a lawless drinker of illegally made or illegally obtained liquor.” That contest was not unlike this one except that it received more than 25,000 submissions over several months and the winner got $200 in prize money rather than just bragging rights.
But back to the present day. Louisa Grauel, of Cape Cod, wrote: “The first thing that comes to mind is scoffpaws.” And Nick King, of Needham, wrote: “Here’s a moniker for those irresponsible dog owners we can’t but scoff at: scatlaws.”
Pam Cirincione, of Wakefield, suggested we extend the meaning of the existing term nincompoop, while others tinkered with that word. Andy Schwartz, of Sharon, proposed noncompoop.
And Lucie, of Waitsfield, Vt., sent me a screed that read in part: “I saw a woman do it once and yelled out, ‘The poop fairy doesn’t come here — can you please take that with you?’ So I think the proper term is ninCOMEONpoop. A nincompoop is defined as a foolish person. But these people are just selfish. Come ON.”
I received two versions of the coinage I liked best. Linda Sacks, of Waltham, and Jennie Heck, of Pittsfield, offered me poopetraitor, with Jennie explaining the ending this way: “Like a perpetrator, but one who is obviously a traitor to good manners.”
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Geoff Patton, of Ashland, and Scott Street, of North Reading, went with the more straightforward poopetrator — which totally works for me. I hereby award Geoff and Scott bragging rights. Good job, you two!
Now Joel Angiolillo — yes, the very same Weston Forest and Trails guy — wants a “family word for ‘the dish or meal that results from combining odds and ends that you happen to have in the fridge, usually a forgettable concoction.’ It’s not leftovers, because you are creating a new dish.”
Send your suggestions to me at Barbara.Wallraff@globe.com by Friday, June 16, and kindly tell me where you live. Also, please remember that meanings in search of words are always welcome.
Barbara Wallraff is a writer and editor in Cambridge.