Taking your ‘frenemy’ to see ‘Barbenheimer’ after ‘brunch’? We all are.

Blended words, or portmanteaus, are having a ginormous moment.

Barbenheimer. Bidenomics. DeSanctimonious.

The portmanteau is having a moment.

Portmanteaus are a clever and classic language device: combine two words — say, breakfast and lunch — to make a new word — brunch, anyone? — that has its own meaning, but whose definition can be easily divined from its origins.

The moment isn’t exactly new — portmanteaus (or portmanteaux, depending on how allegiant you are to the word’s French roots) have been around a long time. But the effect (unlike that letter x) is pronounced, whether in a $235.5 million opening weekend for two movies (Barbie and Oppenheimer) that each might not have caused such a splash on its own, or a GDP growth that’s nearly four times stronger than initial projections (Bidenomics at work!), or a onetime presidential contender weighted down by some clever nicknaming from a formidable opponent (“DeSanctimonious” is more authentic than “Crooked Hillary”).

These Frankenwords all work for a simple reason: They’re catchy.

Read the full column at Inquirer.com.