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Elarie
Grey Havens
Oct 17 2014, 1:58pm
Post #1 of 21
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26 Great Forgotten Words - what's your favorite?
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I loved this list of words on Huff Post in honor of Dictionary Day, and much to my own surprise, I even knew a couple of them already (thank you, Georgette Heyer). I think my personal favorite has to be "fopdoodle" which sounds like something fun from a children's book, but I can't help but wonder what certain political people could do with "obambulate". Enjoy.
AFTER-WISE (adj.)
Defined by Webster as "wise afterwards or too late" -- or in other words, the perfect term for describing that feeling of knowing exactly what you should have said (or done) after the opportunity to say it (or do it) has passed you by. Other useful after- words on Webster's list were after-game (a subsequent scheme or plan), after-supper (the time between supper and going to bed), and after-tossing (the rolling of the sea after a storm has passed).
BABBLEMENT (n.)
"Senseless prattle" or "unmeaning words," according to Webster. To twattle, incidentally, is to gossip or chatter.
CYCOPEDE
Cycopede is all but unique to Webster, who defined it as both a variation of cyclopedia (as in encyclopedia), and as a term for the entire "circle of human knowledge."
DAGGLE-TAIL (adj.)
As a verb, to daggle is "to befoul" or "dirty", or more specifically, "to trail in mud or wet grass". The adjective daggle-tail ultimately describes someone "having the lower ends of garments defiled with mud."
EAR-ERECTING (adj.)
Another of Webster's clever compound adjectives, this time describing any sound that "sets up the ears".
FOPDOODLE (n.)
The perfect name for "an insignificant fellow" -- Webster described this word as "vulgar and not used."
GASTRILOQUIST (n.)
An old-fashioned word for a ventriloquist, or as Webster explains, "one who so modified his voice that it seems to come from another person or place."
HUGGER-MUGGER (n.)
On the rare occasions when hugger-mugger appears in modern English, it's typically used to describe a state of noisy confusion or uproar. According to Webster, however, it was a "low cant word" synonymous with privacy or clandestineness -- doing something in hugger-mugger, he explained, meant doing it in absolute secrecy.
ILLAQUEATION (n.)
A formal word for "the act of ensnaring; a catching or entrapping."
JACKPUDDING (n.)
A jackpudding is a "merry-andrew" or "a zany" according to Webster -- in other words, a joker who acts the fool to make other people laugh.
KISSING-CRUST (n.)
As loaves of bread expand in the oven as they're cooked, a kissing-crust forms when they spread so far that they touch.
LONGINQUITY (n.)
Derived from the Latin word for distance, longinquity is a formal word for remoteness or isolation, or for any vast distance in space or time.
MAFFLE (v.)
To stammer or stumble on your words. To faffel means the same thing.
NUNCUPATORY (adj.)
If something is nuncupatory then it exists in name only. The word can also be used to describe a verbal rather than written agreement.
OBAMBULATE (v.)
Literally means "to walk about." The horseback equivalent, incidentally, is to obequitate -- or "to ride about."
PACKTHREAD (n.)
The strong string or twine used to wrap parcels? That's packthread.
QUADRIN (n.)
A quadrin was old copper coin, which Webster explains was "in value [worth] about a farthing". Its name can also be used figuratively of any tiny amount of something, or an insignificant amount of cash.
RAKESHAME (n.)
"A vile, dissolute wretch" -- also known as a rampallion, a scroyle, a runnion, a pander, a cullion and (if they seem destined to a life of crime) a crack-rope.
SHEEP-BITE (v.)
To sheep-bite is "to practice petty thefts" according to Webster. Some of his other criminally underused S-words include scantle ("to divide into small pieces"), scranch ("to grind with the teeth"), stalactical ("resembling an icicle"), squabbish ("thick, fat, heavy") and stramash ("to beat," "to destroy"). Less useful is sniggle, defined as "to fish for eels by thrusting the bait into their holes."
TARDIGRADOUS (adj.)
"Slow-paced; moving or stepping slowly."
UPTRAIN (v.)
To uptrain is "to educate" -- literally "to train up."
VERNATE (v.)
Derived from the Latin word for the spring, to vernate is "to become young again."
WRANGLESOME (adj.)
To wrangle is "to dispute angrily" or "to involve in contention," according to Webster. So if you're wranglesome, then you're "quarrelsome and contentious."
XEROPHAGY (n.)
Xerophagy is "the eating of dry meats," according to Webster, who described the practice as "a sort of fast among the primitive Christians." In all, he listed just 13 words under X in his dictionary - which is 13 more than Samuel Johnson, who instead stated that "X is a letter which, though found in Saxon words, begins no word in the English language."
YOKE-MATE (n.)
Also called a yoke-fellow, a yoke-mate is "an associate or companion."
ZUFFOLO (n.)
Z fairs slightly better than X in Webster's dictionary, with a total of 85 entries in all. A zuffolo, he explains, is "a little flute... especially that which is used to teach birds."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...words_b_5985494.html
__________________
If this is to end in barrels, then we will all shampoo together.
(This post was edited by Elarie on Oct 17 2014, 2:00pm)
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CuriousG
Half-elven
Oct 17 2014, 4:37pm
Post #2 of 21
(573 views)
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Too bad "tomnoddy" from The Hobbit didn't make the list.
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I like "hugger-mugger," but it makes me think of some emotional, apologetic thief who steals from you, then gives you a hug to brighten up your day to compensate.
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Kim
Valinor
Oct 17 2014, 5:02pm
Post #4 of 21
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Bookmarking for our next round of Mad Libs. 
I can definitely get a lot of use with "After-wise". 
Join us every weekend for The Hobbit Chapter of the Week discussions!
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Meneldor
Valinor
Oct 17 2014, 5:14pm
Post #5 of 21
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I may get some good use out of rakeshame and its synonyms.
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Does anybody here listen to "Says You" on public radio? That's where I learned almost everything I know about odd words.
They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters, these see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep. -Psalm 107
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Elarie
Grey Havens
Oct 17 2014, 8:40pm
Post #6 of 21
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What Nori does after he steals from Bilbo
Have you hugged your hobbit today? 
__________________
If this is to end in barrels, then we will all shampoo together.
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SirDennisC
Half-elven
Oct 17 2014, 11:30pm
Post #7 of 21
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I have no memory of any of these words.
Well, I have heard hugger-mugger before, but thought it was invented for effect by some 20th Century author, or maybe regional slang, meaningless to "outsiders".
Perhaps these fell out of use because few give any hint as to what they might mean or be related to? For instance obambulate has a familiar root, as does babblement... but the rest, oi, it's as if they were made late, out of thin air, and died shortly thereafter... kissing-crust can be reasoned out; but really, even in baking cultures would it be a very useful word?
Thanks for sharing this Elarie.
(This post was edited by SirDennisC on Oct 17 2014, 11:32pm)
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Rembrethil
Tol Eressea
Oct 19 2014, 2:54am
Post #8 of 21
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I like that! I might use it! It sort of reminds me of the expression 'carriage wit'. I don't remember when I hear it, (Poem film) but the definition given was: 'The act or ability of thinking of a clever rmark after one has left a social party.' and presumably driving home in a carriage.
Call me Rem, and remember, not all who ramble are lost...Uh...where was I?
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The Grey Elf
Grey Havens
Oct 19 2014, 3:03pm
Post #9 of 21
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Haha! I thought the very same thing, Kim!
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I'm sure Darkstone is also taking notes given his fondness for obscure verbiage. 
"If not us, who? If not now, when?" HeforShe
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The Grey Elf
Grey Havens
Oct 19 2014, 3:37pm
Post #10 of 21
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Forgive me if I maffle my sheer pleasure in being uptrained by this cycopede of quaint, old words, my yoke-mate, Elarie!
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I have to wonder if the Tardigradous was Dr. Who's first, and quickly discarded, prototype for the Tardis 
Don't know that I could narrow down just one word from this list as a favorite since so many tickle me. Sometimes the actual meaning of the word seems strongly suggested, sometimes not. For instance, I would have thought "gastriloquist" would have been a fitting word for Bombur, someone who speaks through their stomach, LOL.
Aragorn's original alias: Obambulator. Gotta admit, it's not as sexy as Strider (or even Longshanks!)
Would Radagast have a zuffalo hidden in one of his mysterious pockets?
Funny that "kissing-crust" uses a hyphen when making it compound, like rakeshame, seems much for fitting to its definition.
I'm not being a jackpudding of babblement when I say these wonderful new old words make my gray cells vernate! Thanks so much for this post, Elarie, and the link. It would be great if we could make this a monthly feature.
"If not us, who? If not now, when?" HeforShe
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Bard'sBlackArrow
Lorien
Oct 19 2014, 4:31pm
Post #11 of 21
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Daggle-tail for me, thanks for sharing //
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... on the other side of tomorrow...
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Elarie
Grey Havens
Oct 19 2014, 10:23pm
Post #12 of 21
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A very nice, ear-erecting vernating of these nuncupatory expressions. And I got more than a quadrin of fun from Aragorn's new name. Hmmm....
Gandalf Greyhame, Thorin Oakenshield, Grima Wormtongue, Aragorn Obambulator....
These Middle Earth names sure have a nice rhythm to them!
__________________
If this is to end in barrels, then we will all shampoo together.
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The Grey Elf
Grey Havens
Oct 20 2014, 1:06am
Post #13 of 21
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Haha, one could say all good words deserve a little embellishment ;-)
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Thanks, Elarie. It seems we speak the same after-wise language!
"If not us, who? If not now, when?" HeforShe
(This post was edited by The Grey Elf on Oct 20 2014, 1:12am)
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Riven Delve
Tol Eressea
Oct 21 2014, 2:08pm
Post #14 of 21
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I came across a use of "babblements" in John Milton's Of Education:
I deem it to be an old errour of Universities not yet well recover’d from the
Scholastick grossness of barbarous ages, that in stead of beginning with Arts
most easie, and those be such as are most obvious to the sence, they present
their young unmatriculated Novices at first comming with the most intellective
abstractions of Logick and Metapysicks: So that they having but
newly left those Grammatick flats and shallows where they stuck unreasonably to
learn a few words with lamentable construction, and now on the sudden
transported under another climate to be tost and turmoil’d with their
unballasted wits in fadomless and unquiet deeps of controversie, do for the most
part grow into hatred and contempt of Learning, mockt and deluded all this while
with ragged Notions and Babblements, while they expected worthy and delightful
knowledge.
(Somehow I suspect John Milton would consider my wits unballasted! )
“Tollers,” Lewis said to Tolkien, “there is too little of what we really like in stories. I am afraid we shall have to try and write some ourselves.”
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The Grey Elf
Grey Havens
Oct 21 2014, 3:02pm
Post #15 of 21
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I'm feelin' a bit "ragged" after parsing that
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Haha, no wonder you're unballasted, Riven Delve!
"If not us, who? If not now, when?" HeforShe
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Riven Delve
Tol Eressea
Oct 21 2014, 3:19pm
Post #16 of 21
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for not getting a classical education. Clearly I am a tardigradous fopdoodle.
“Tollers,” Lewis said to Tolkien, “there is too little of what we really like in stories. I am afraid we shall have to try and write some ourselves.”
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Elarie
Grey Havens
Oct 21 2014, 3:42pm
Post #17 of 21
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I think "Babblement" really deserves to brought back into common use
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Maybe I'll start using it in conversation (as I babble on about the cute things my cats do ) I just wish there was a way to make it flash across people's TV screens during those "breaking news" broadcasts when the actual information takes about 30 seconds to tell and the next two hours is just "blah blah blah". Or better yet, during political speeches. I took a symbolic logic course in college where we broke down speeches to see how much actual information was in them and it was hilarious! Babblement, babblement, babblement! 
__________________
If this is to end in barrels, then we will all shampoo together.
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The Grey Elf
Grey Havens
Oct 21 2014, 4:13pm
Post #18 of 21
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"If not us, who? If not now, when?" HeforShe
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Riven Delve
Tol Eressea
Oct 21 2014, 4:33pm
Post #19 of 21
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although I would prefer the word "twaddle" in such situations, not least because of its pejorative connotation. 
“Tollers,” Lewis said to Tolkien, “there is too little of what we really like in stories. I am afraid we shall have to try and write some ourselves.”
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The Grey Elf
Grey Havens
Oct 21 2014, 7:09pm
Post #20 of 21
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What does it say about humanity that we historically have so many different words for BS?
"If not us, who? If not now, when?" HeforShe
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sherlock
Gondor
Oct 23 2014, 4:37pm
Post #21 of 21
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I know some people who are wranglesome.
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