"Is that the first time you’ve ever said ‘Avocadolicious?’  Because that’s the first time I’ve ever heard it."

Full disclosure: I didn’t overhear this. 

I said it. 

The guy behind me who ordered the salad was not amused at my anemic attempt at comedy.  We were cattle-hoofing through the line at the food-courty chain, Saladworks.  He just wanted to graze. 

I began pondering our obsession with adding "-licious" to words.  I did a little research, and this is what I discovered.

Great Liciouses In History:

Delicious-  Etymologists trace this adjective’s origin, derived from the Old French word "delicieus," to 1250-1300 AD.  In Related News:  "Delish," the colloquial use of the word, was first popularized in 1920 by the great grandmother of television personality Rachael Ray.   

Bubblicious- The current #1-selling chunk bubble gum in America first hit the market in 1977.  In Related News:  One of the pieces I swallowed in 1984 has almost worked its way through my system.

Bootylicious- Hardly anyone could handle this song by Destiny’s Child when it was released in the summer of 2001.  In Related News: The famous 18th Century naval officer, John Paul Jones, is believed to have declared, "I have not yet begun to be ready for this jelly!"

Fergalicious- This single, by Black Eyed Peas babe Fergie, peaked at #2 on the Billboard Top 100 charts in 2007.  In Related News:  At a Callaway Gardens teen dance in July 1990, a Pine Mountain, GA, dj reluctantly played J.J. Fad’s "Give It All You Got"–from which "Fergalicious" was heavily sampled–after a throng of adolescents threatened a walkout.  I was there.  I led the protest.