The Rice University Neologisms Database

the long-term curvature of the neck (usually to one side) that results from extended holding of a telephone by cradling it between the neck and the shoulder The term phoneck is one that can describe many people in the world. Whether it is at work or chatting with friends, some people (like me) can be on the phone for hours at a time. Holding the phone between the neck and the shoulder for a long period of time can cause strain, which can cause potential damage to the person. Blending phone and neck is very simple because both words have ‘ne’ at the end and beginning of them, respectively. This is where the bonding takes place. It is unclear which word is clipped (if any). Because phone ends in ‘ne’, it bonds with neck and only one ‘ne’ is necessary. Although it may seem strange, this could be a real medical condition in which phoneck could be used as a simple term to describe it. It would not surprise me if this word were accepted into the medical world to describe a curvature of the neck to one side. Even though it may not be the case of the condition, it would certainly be a good word to describe it. However, I do not want to be the person who is diagnosed with ‘phoneck.’