gnomicide
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Etymology: From gnome + -cide.
Senses: examples: text: “At 4 a.m. they came back. I looked out the door, and they were struggling with the gnome which was tangled in its own wiring. They dashed it to the ground!” Plainly there was some boorish hoodlumism by youths old enough to know better. Then the lady who had charged one of several youths with gnomicide conceded, unfortunately for her: “I didn’t see the face of the man who did the damage — but the police must know. He came from the party anyway.”
ref: 1949 December 2, Tom Jarvis, “Busted, Stolen Gnome No Longer Lights Home”, in The Vancouver Sun, volume LXIV, number 52, Vancouver, B.C., page 47:
text: In recent years it has been shown that the non-U value of a gnome can be increased by cavity filling. […] The following badmixtures shall not be used. […] (b) Crocodileite (green asbestos), which can lead to gnomicide.
ref: 1982, Bulletin, Association for Preservation Technology, page 43:
text: Gnomicide in the rockery / Garden gnomes have sold in their millions over the years but, as EMMA WALKER reports, their days are numbered […] Richard Sewell, of Peter Barratt’s Garden Centre, in Gosforth, Newcastle, confirmed: “Gnomes would appear to have gone out of fashion.[…]”
ref: 1994 July 5, Family Life (Evening Chronicle), page 10:
text: Adam and Eve seem not have worried about what to put at the bottom of the garden but since the renaissance it has been a real worry, now often answered with a gnome fishing in a tiny pond. Plumptre, and his co-authors, would commit gnomicide if they saw such a thing.
ref: 1998 September 12, Desmond Christy, “Non-fiction”, in The Guardian, section “Saturday review”, page 11:
text: She gave me a list of the injured. Looks like Gnome Chomsky lost most of his butt. […] Which would have bought me swift banishment to the basement if I hadn’t already been banished for my now notorious gnomicide.
ref: 1999, Vince Rause, Handy as I Wanna be: A Novel with Tools, Pocket Books, →ISBN, pages 37 and 146:
text: The Aussie gnome eliminators have finally gained access to the net in order to show the rest of us their campaign successes. Their site features a veritable cornucopia of photographs and stories from the front lines of neighbourhoods from around the world. Among the casualties of this brutal Gnomicide are Snow White and her Seven Dwarves.
ref: 2001 January 25, Adam Rozenhart, “Site Unseen”, in The Gateway, volume XC, number 30, page 26:
text: ‘Have you seen this one-legged gnome? 30cm tall. Wearing a red hat and green coat. Carrying a broken spade.’ / ‘A broken spade?’ I said. ‘And only one leg?’ / ‘Well it had two,’ said Joss, ‘until last month, when Mr King accidentally ran over it with his lawn mower.’ / ‘Perhaps it wasn’t an accident,’ I said. ‘Perhaps it was attempted murder. Gnomicide!’
ref: 2005, Sandra Glover, Deadline, Educational Printing Services Limited, →ISBN, page 8:
text: Gnomicide[…] Mewsli had started to put some of the broken pieces together. She held up in one grey paw part of a brightly painted face with red cheeks and a red nose. “It’s a garden gnome,” said J.S. “Or it was, and a very ugly one at that.” […] “Well....er....I solved the gnomicide case..”
ref: 2011, Merv Lambert, Parapenguins: And Other Videoville Animal Stories, Andrews UK Limited, →ISBN:
text: In 1900 two Scarfolk girls took photographs of what they claimed were fairies at the bottom of their garden at Coprofilly House. Britain was soon buzzing with talk of the fairies, especially when the girls managed to capture one of the supernatural beings, which they sent to the Zoological Society of London. Frustratingly for the society’s research members, the fairy cadaver must have somehow magically transformed into papier-mâché during transit. Many people blamed the post office and demanded that the managing director be charged with gnomicide.
ref: 2014, Richard Littler, Discovering Scarfolk: For Tourists & Other Trespassers, Ebury Press, →ISBN:
text: With a minor miscalculation he tripped on something and to his horror found the shattered remains of Einnis, his garden gnome. Keen to find the perpetrator of such a hideous act of gnomicide he raced out of the gate.
ref: 2014, James Oliver, Jim’s Alien, →ISBN:
text: I am inviting you to lunch, per my obligation as your official Garden Gnome. […] “If those aren’t your registration materials, there’s going to be a gnomicide.”
ref: 2015, Anna Lefler, Preschooled, Full Fathom Five Digital, →ISBN:
text: Other than the two-story-high red, yellow, and white garden gnome gracing the grassy center of the circular drive in front of the gray brick building, Gnomish, Inc. looked just like any other professional business. The parking lot to the side of the building was empty. / “Nobody here. Maybe they don’t have a security guard,” I said, frowning. / “Maybe,” Sebille agreed. “If there is, I’ll deal with him.” / Her “take no prisoners” attitude had me a little concerned. “What exactly does that mean?” I asked. I was all for helping Alice with her problem…especially since it was probably going to become my problem if it wasn’t solved…but I had no intention of going to prison for committing gnomicide, thank you very much.
ref: 2020, Sam Cheever, Unbaked Croakies (Enchanting Inquiries; 1), Electric Prose Publications, →ISBN:
glosses: The destroying of a gnome.