Both Sharon and ABA happened to send articles about old and little used words. That set off research into other candidates that might prove useful in historical stories and even insert playfulness or elocution (there’s a word not heard anymore) in ordinary writing.
Following is a random selection. A few, such as those beginning with ‘fiddle’, I wouldn’t miss outside an English cosy.
Worry not. I don’t expect you to look up each entry. If you hover your mouse over a word, you should see its meaning.
| accouchement | cordwainer | gallivant | pantywaist |
| affright | coxcomb | glabriety | peregrinate |
| appetency | cutpurse | gobsmacked | persnickety |
| avaunt | d’accord | gyve | picaroon |
| balderdash | davenport | habiliment | poppycock |
| baloney | delate | hoodwink | ragamuffin |
| bamboozled | discombobulated | hotrod | rapscallion |
| barnstormer | disport | hullabaloo | rigmarole |
| bejeebers | doohicky | humbug | shenanigans |
| beldam | éclaircissement | jalopy | skedaddle |
| bijoux | egads | jargogle | skewwhiff |
| bloomers | facinorous | kerfuffle | sweeting |
| bodkin | fainéant | kibosh | tenterhooks |
| brabble | farthing | knave | thingamebob |
| britches | feminal | knickknack | thingamyjig |
| bruit | fiddle-dee-dee | knucklehead | thunderation |
| buttonhook | fiddle-faddle | lollygag | tomfoolery |
| caterwauling | fiddlesticks | lurdan | trigon |
| catawampus | fizgig | magdalen | varlet |
| chesterfield | flabbergasted | malarkey | whatchamacallit |
| churchkey | flibberty-jibbit | malapert | whatsit |
| codger | flim-flam | moxie | whosemegadget |
| concoction | flummoxed | nimrod † | willy-nilly |
| confuzzled | frore | nincompoop | wishywashy |
| contumely | fuddy-duddy | numbskull | yclept |
† The word ‘nimrod’ has lost its original Biblical meaning, that of a sharpshooter or an outstanding hunter. It’s now used as an insult. A young acquaintance succinctly explained, “a numnutz.”
Bonus Word: Izzard
You may know the letter Z as ‘zee’ or ‘zed’, but once upon a time as early as 1726, Z was called ‘izzard’. Samuel Johnson featured the word izzard in his 1755 Dictionary of the English Language. The expression “A to izzard” means “from beginning to end.”
Bonus Word: Trumpery
Trumpery is defined as (adj) showy but worthless, attractive but of little value or use; delusive or shallow; (n) practices or beliefs superficially or visually appealing but of little real value or worth.
Darryl used "noodge" just this afternoon. i think it's more Yiddish than obscure, but I hadn't heard it in a while!
ReplyDeleteGood morning, Jeff! I love the expressiveness of Yiddish. I don't recall seeing the word in print before, which closely rhymes with 'budge', but the vowel sounds like 'stood' or 'would'. Good choice!
DeleteLove the bonus words!
ReplyDeleteGood morning, Janice. I had always thought of trumpery meaning ostentation inflated, but the precise meaning carries a zing.
DeleteUm, not sure if it shows my age and/or my heritage, but I (and my family) still use a goodly number of your listed words...
ReplyDelete(10 out of 10 on the hover function - must have taken an age)
The final definition was a real bonus!
A bit of both, I suspect, ABA. Words like 'gobsmacked' are still used in the UK (and SA), but never took hold here. D'accord isn't used much in the Americas, but it's one of my favorite expressions.
DeleteThanks. The definitions did indeed take a while to figure out and implement. Good to see you!
Another old country word is "siminified" - to be full, to have eaten well. My Kentucky grandfather used it all the time.
ReplyDeleteEve, wonderful! I've never heard of that one. 'Sated' doesn't sound the same. It's good to keep useful words alive.
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