The explanation of nonsense words
“Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll, consists mostly of nonsense words. But if we were to look at those words closely, a certain meaning could be attached to most of them. For example, the word “slithy” is something between lithe and slimy. This adjective describes the noun” toves” that sounds like “toads”, which are lizards. In this case, the context specifies such attributes, as lithe and slimy which alludes to lizards or toes. Examining the word “mimsy”, it sounds similar to the word flimsy which means shaky or fragile. Because within the context of the poem this word describes the “borogoves” which are probably some types of animals, they could be embodied as fragile or shaky.
The “Bandersnatch” sounds conformable to a name for a monster, so the word “frumious” probably characterizes it as furious and fuming, therefore “Bandersnatch” may be a name for a dragon. The fourth and fifth quatrains describe a battle scene. The first line tells that the character stood in “uffish thought”, waiting for the fight to begin. “Uffish” sounds similar to such words, as roughish, gruffish, huffish which mean rough and ready, blunt, and courageous.
These are the right words to describe the thoughts of someone, who has prepared himself for battle with a dragon, according to the context. The expression “galumphing back” that appears at the end of the fifth quatrain which describes how the main character had conquered the beast, most likely implies going back, as it sounds like the word galloping and somewhat triumphantly. These words are appropriate, as the monster is slain, and the central figureheads back to where he came from.
References
“Jabberwocky.” 2007.