Revenge Of The Word Collector

Part four of an etymological extravaganza

After another expedition into the deepest, darkest, and most remote regions of the literary world, I have returned safely unscathed, and am pleased to share with you some of the latest rare specimens captured and brought back for you to enjoy.

Of course, being far more erudite than myself, you may know some of these words and phrases already. In which case, please think to yourself, “Didn’t he know that?!”.

This needs to be done in the tone my wife uses, when she knows a word I don’t, of utter incredulity, as though talking to a complete imbecile, with the emphasis on the word “that”, as though it is incomprehensible that anyone could be so completely stupid.

I must give credit and thanks for some of these words to my fellow writers/friends on Medium, whose less familiar words I also collect and store in my collection, so many thanks for a couple of these specimens, which will be carefully curated, catalogued and pinned in my display cabinets for all to enjoy.

recusant- a person who refuses to submit to an authority or to comply with a regulation; or a person who refused to attend services of the Church of England.

cavil — a petty or unnecessary objection.

lede — the opening sentence or paragraph of a news article, summarising the most important aspects of the story.

billingsgate — rough language filled with profanity.

borborygm — a word for the noise your stomach makes when it rumbles.

prosaic- having or using the style or diction of prose as opposed to poetry; lacking imagination or originality.

dyschezia — difficulty pooping. In adults, this can mean pain, straining or obstructed defecation.

sukebind — a flowering plant; also can mean a curse.

pseudonymous — the practice of writing under an assumed name.

autodidact — a self-taught person

neophyte — a person who is new to a subject or activity

euouae — a medieval musical term, which has the Guinness World Record for being the longest word in English with no consonants.

nudiustertian — The recent past (literally “the day before yesterday”).

pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis — possibly the longest word in the English language, 45 letters to save you counting, and is a lung disease caused by inhalation of very fine silicate or quartz dust

lollygag — to dawdle or be overly slow

batrachomyomachy — to make a mountain out of a molehill.

cattywampus — disorganised, when something is not arranged correctly.

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From previous articles, for ease of reference you may also enjoy the following -

Whiffling –a term used in ornithology to describe the behaviour whereby a bird (particularly geese) rapidly descends with a zig-zagging, side-slipping motion. Sometimes to whiffle, a bird flies briefly with its body turned upside down but with its neck and head twisted 180 degrees around in a normal position. The aerodynamics which usually give a bird lift during flying are thereby inverted and the bird briefly plummets toward the ground before this is quickly reversed and the bird adopts a normal flying orientation. This erratic motion resembles a falling leaf, and is used to avoid avian predators or may be used by geese to avoid a long, slow descent over an area where wildfowling is practised.

Bisque- is a smooth, creamy, highly seasoned soup of French origin, classically based on a strained broth of crustaceans. It can be made from lobster, langoustine, crab, shrimp or crayfish. Alongside chowder, bisque is one of the most popular seafood soups.

Calabrese — is a very easy, fast-growing crop, also known as American, Italian or green sprouting broccoli.

Reflexive — denoting a pronoun that refers back to the subject of the clause in which it is used, e.g. myself, themselves.

Schematic — a schematic, or schematic diagram, is a designed representation of the elements of a system using abstract, graphic symbols rather than realistic pictures.

perma-gloom — saw this in “The Observer” to describe the state of Brexit Britain. Very apt.

levelling down — also in “The Observer”, a mocking variation on the UK government’s levelling up agenda which seems to be back-firing.

bien pensant- right thinking or conventional (French)

buccal — of the cheek

amanuensis — a literary or artistic assistant, in particular one who takes dictation or copies manuscripts

gazpacho — a cold Spanish soup made from tomatoes, peppers, and other salad vegetables

cerulean — deep blue in colour like a clear sk

chatelaine — a woman in charge of a large house

soi disant- self-proclaimed (French)

canard — an unfounded rumour or story

carpe diem — seize the day (Latin)

crosne — a Chinese artichoke

kicker — shoulder or kicker has been defined as the headline that is placed on top of the main headline. This headline is set in small points, and its purpose is to supplement the main headline.

comity — courtesy and considerate behaviour towards others.

gnomon — centrepiece on a sundial that casts the shadow

brindle — brownish or tawny colour of animal fur with streaks of other colour

salmagundi — a dish of chopped meat, anchovies, eggs, onions and seasoning

seitan — a high-protein vegetarian food made from cooked wheat gluten (not to be confused with Satan or you will get into trouble)

carpet bagger — a political candidate who seeks election in an area where they have no local connections

finagle — obtain something by devious or dishonest means

rodomontade — boastful or inflated talk or behaviour

eschatology — the part of theology concerned with death, judgement and the final destiny of the soul and humankind

scatology — an interest in or preoccupation with excrement and excretion

lacuna — an unfilled space or interval/gap

epistemology — the theory of knowledge

moiety — each of two parts into which a thing is or can be divided

fungible — exchangeable

ubuntu — a quality that includes the essential human virtues; compassion and humanity

eudaimonia — A Greek word — of good spirit

ziggurat — a rectangular tower in ancient Mesopotamia

catafalque — a decorated wooden framework supporting the coffin of a distinguished person during a funeral

fomite — a particle contaminated with infection agent

solipsistic — selfish

entomology — the branch of zoology concerned with the study of insects

etymology — the study of the origin of words

Hope you enjoyed!

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