Slobbovia

English

The canonical map of the Slobbovian play-by-mail game

Alternative forms

• Slobovia

Etymology

From slob +‎ -ov (forming Slavic possessives) +‎ -ia (forming placenames). First used as Lower Slobbovia in the Li'l Abner comic strip in 1946, its capital named "Raswashingsputin, D.C.", and its culture largely bagel-based, with vague reference to poor but moderately developed countries similar to Eastern Europe. Later maps of Lower Slobbovia placed it in Manchuria and eastern Siberia.

Compare sloboda, a similar-sounding word from Slavic languages.

Proper noun

Slobbovia

1. (chiefly US) Used as a placeholder country name in textbook problems, classroom examples, etc.

   Coordinate term: Freedonia

   • 1972, Arnold Birenbaum, Social Problems: Private Troubles and Public Issues, page 50:

     Suppose that there are 80 births in Lower Slobbovia during 1967, and that the population of Lower Slobbovia was 2,000 on July 1, 1967.

   • 1991 December 22, Josef Joffe, “America's in the Balcony as Europe Takes Center Stage”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN:

     (At this point, only readers who know the difference between Slovakia, Slavonia and Slovenia might want to proceed; Slobbovia doesn't count.)

   • 2013 [1989], Steven Landsburg, Price Theory and Applications, 9th edition, Cengage Learning, →ISBN, page 267:

     The demand and supply curves for shoes are the same in Upper Slobbovia as in Lower Slobbovia. In Upper Slobbovia, shoes are subject to a price ceiling of $2 per pair (which is below equilibrium), and 1,000 pairs are sold per month.

2. (roleplaying games) A play-by-mail roleplaying game notionally based on Diplomacy.

Derived terms

• Slobbovian

See also

• Lower Slobbovia
• Upper Slobbovia