Return of the Fugitives! "Is there a word for ...?" Word Fugitives, Barbara Wallraff's acclaimed interactive column, is coming back -- in print! Here's how you can participate A word fugitive is a wanted word or expression, one that someone has been unable to call to mind. Quite probably no exactly apt term exists -- but maybe one should. Those familiar with The Meaning of Liff (1983), by Douglas Adams and John Lloyd, or Sniglets (1984), by Rich Hall and Friends, may find it helpful to think of word fugitives as empty mental spaces waiting to be filled by neologisms like the ones that appeared in those books. Readers who are well acquainted with Atlantic Unbound may already be familiar with Word Fugitives, which made its debut here, in November of 1998 (and ran through December of 1999). Readers are again invited to submit new word fugitives they seek, for the feature will soon be making the leap into print. Beginning with The Atlantic's February issue, the magazine, in alternate months, will present two new word fugitives at a time and will also publish responses to earlier fugitives. Readers whose queries are published and those whose coinages are singled out for top honors will each receive, with the magazine's thanks, a selection of recent autographed books by Atlantic authors. For inspiration, you may wish to turn to our Court Record page, where many of the letters that appeared in the online feature, together with the responses to them, can still be found. To submit new word fugitives, please send e-mail to [email protected]. Letters become the property of Word Fugitives and may be edited. All material copyright © 2001 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. All rights reserved.