Eelpout?

Eelpout? No, seriously…eelpout?! What a great word. It’s poetry. I’m thinking Seuss here. And dreams. Dancing ethereal visions have been evoked.

Last night, this brill lexeme earned one of my Words with Chums pals 60 odd points. Golf claps abound.

I’d never heard of an eelpout before and, naturally, had to look it up. Is this just an eel with a case of the sads?

From the Britannica site:

Eelpout, any of more than 250 species of elongated marine fishes of the family Zoarcidae, found in cold waters and abundant in Arctic and Antarctic regions

Is that a yes? It’s an eel-ish type fishie that’s maybe a little depressed because it’s so damn cold where he lives? Mebbe a little Southern Cal vaca would put some spring back in his slither? Ya know, a little Venice Beach action—checking out the bodybuilders, the voguing fashionistas, the artists, all while working on a tan—could put a smile on that kisser.

Hells, in Minnesota there’s a festival for this unpretentious, watery beastie! That oughta cheer him up eh?

International Eelpout Festival.
For the past 36 years, and for three days every February, crowds that are more than 10 times the population of tiny Walker, Minn. (pop. 1,069) gather on Minnesota’s third largest lake (112,000-acres), Leech Lake, for a festival named for one of the ugliest bottom-dwelling fish, the eelpout. In a state where it is common to embrace the quirky and find great fun in the most unlikely circumstances and weather conditions, this festival is pure Minnesota fun.

"ugliest bottom-dwelling fish"
Is that really helpful? I ask you. Poor thing already has a complex. Clearly! Also too, beauty/eye of the beholder and all that. I bet, to other eelpouts, he’s a stunner.