DEAR ABBY: I would like to propose a new word for general use. It's "wasband." Definition: male to whom I am no longer married. Reason: "Ex" seems a pejorative term. I didn't want to add that burden to the baggage our kids may have picked up.
I have used it since the mid-1990s. I began to think of a new term when I was in a social situation with my wasband, his wife and mutual friends. I bumped into a colleague and wasn't quick enough to think of a polite term for my former husband, so I could only introduce him as "the father of my children." I think "wasband" is a less awkward term. What do you think, Abby? -- LOVER OF LANGUAGE IN WASHINGTON
DEAR L.O.L.: I think it is clever. The term is listed in the Urban Dictionary, and because you started using it so early shows you are one smart cookie.