For pure cleverness the poem has no equal, we will not say in the English language, but in any language whatsoever, for it seems to be a medley of all languages. Lewis Carroll composed it on the spur of the moment during an evening spent with his cousins, the Misses Wilcox, and with his natural gift of word-making the result is most surprising. The only verse that really needs explanation is the first, which is also the last of the poem. Out of the twenty-three words the verse contains, there are but twelve which are pure, honest English.
In Mr. Collingwood’s article in the Strand Magazine we have Lewis Carroll’s explanation of the remaining eleven, written down in learned fashion, brimful of his own quaint humor. For a real guide it cannot be excelled, and, though we laugh at the absurdities, we learn the lesson. Here it is:
Brillig (derived from the verb to bryl or broil), “the time of broiling dinner—i. e., the close of the afternoon.”
Slithy (compounded of slimy and lithe), “smooth and active.”
Tove (a species of badger). “They had smooth, white hair, long hind legs, and short horns like a stag; lived chiefly on cheese.”
Gyre (derived from Gayour or Giaour, a dog), “to scratch like a dog.”
Gymble (whence Gimblet), “to screw out holes in anything.”
Wabe (derived from the verb to swab or soak), “the side of a hill” (from its being soaked by the rain).
Mimsy (whence mimserable and miserable), “unhappy.”
Borogove, “an extinct kind of parrot. They had no wings, beaks turned up, and made their nests under sun-dials; lived on veal.”