The term "sniglet" was conceived by comedian Rich Hall during his tenure on the 1980s HBO comedy series "Not Necessarily the News". Each monthly episode featured a regular segment on sniglets, which Hall described as "any word that doesn't appear in the dictionary, but should". In 1984, a collection of sniglets was published by Hall, titled "Sniglets (snig' lit: any word that doesn't appear in the dictionary, but should)". This was followed by a "daily comic panel" in newspapers, four more books, a game, and a calendar. Many sniglets are portmanteau words, a comedic style often traced to Lewis Carroll.