Word Fugitives

Who knew that people could get so worked up about the domestic behavior of total strangers? In May a woman des­cribed her husband as a “pack rat” and asked for a word for someone, like her, with the opposite tendency. M. Gunnison Collins, of New York City, wrote, “Having for years resented the unsavory implications of pack rat, I relish the chance to label my opposites, who I’ve always felt lacked some basic degree of human warmth and material sentimentality.

I propose we call them minimatons.” Jim Tanner, of Fort Collins, Colo., wrote, “My condolences to the pack rat; his wife obviously doesn’t appreciate domestic sagacity. Being able to keep stuff, and lots of it, is the reason one maintains a home rather than living in a pod. If God had intended for us to be so cavalier about our possessions, He would not have given us basements or all ...