OT: The currently popular word, "Brexit,"
- Thread starter Kibitzer
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Is alimony a portmanteau?
ochoopsfan
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Ekmarkit 
CTyankee
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PAlimony is correct... It turns out our local newspaper failed to note "the theme" of this crossword puzzle which was "P and A". A number of the clues sneaked PA together in one letter box, thus PAlimony took up only seven spaces...
No wonder my wife, with English as a second language, could not understand how to solve it... I guess too much of Germany still resides in her... Sneaky devils these crossword authors are...
MilfordHusky
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Frau Heidi is very nice!
MilfordHusky
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Kibitzer
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I believe (subject of course to correction
) that the earliest journalistic use of the word "palimony" occurred when film actor Lee Marvin and his, um, companion split. They had lived together blissfully for many years without ever taking marriage vows. When their relationship ended, the breakup was acrimonious, as is often the case with traditional divorces. At that time there was little legal precedent for courts to cite for guidance when divvying up jointly-held property. And that's how this creative media coinage - palimony. - was born.At least that's how I recall it.
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