Why Word Court Gavel?

If I had frequent commenters, I imagine they might ask, "Why is your stupid blog named 'Word Court Gavel?'"

I don't have the commenters yet, but I do have the answer.

We can break the answer down into two sections: the word court and the gavel.

The word court is the court I imagined when I was three and four and learning to read. A judge presides, a jury listens--basic courtroom setup here, with a little more glory (We are dealing with words, after all, and not law.). A panel suggests new words to the jury. They vote on the aesthetics of the words--how they look, if they roll off the tongue appropriately, if their spelling is organic to their meaning.

A majority vote elicits a tap of the gavel, and, voila! It is a word!

I have heard a similar court exists in France, to make sure their ugly tongue does not deteriorate. In fact, I have found their web site, but since it is in French I will not link to it. Here is something interesting.