By Joseph W. Smith III
As Webb’s Weird Words wraps its first year in print, I couldn’t quite manage a relevant theme this time around; in keeping with the idea of “end,” however, I did at least finish harvesting words from the very first of the 27 pages in my running list of oddball vocab.
Here are your final 15 for 2023:
Astonied (uh-STAH-need, adj.) – Looking for all the world like a typo, this is just an old — and now obsolete — form of astonished. Apparently, it is available only as a past-tense adjective. (In other words, you cannot simply “astony” someone, more’s the pity.)
Brabble (BRAB-ul, verb) – To argue, wrangle or fight; also a noun for argumentative talk. Perhaps best known from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night: “In private brabble did we apprehend him” (5.1).
Chivy (SHIV-ee, verb) – To harass, annoy or nag, especially in a petty manner. Also: to hunt. Probably from an old Scottish hunting song, “The Ballad of Chevy Chase,” which in turn gave us the Maryland city name, as well as that of the famous actor. Fittingly then, the original verb can also be spelled chivvy — or chevy.
Collywobbles (KOLL-ee-wob-ulz, noun) – Intestinal cramps or other stomach pains; also: nervousness or anxiety. Possibly related to colic or cholera.
Commode (kuh-MODE, noun) – This one has an array of meanings, including a woman’s ornate cap or headdress — or a low cabinet, stand or cupboard. In olden times, the latter sometimes held a “chamber pot” (from which we get potty); so it can mean toilet — though Central PA is the only place I’ve ever heard it used that way. (I have a Bloomsburg cousin who calls her crapper a commode, which I still find amusing.)
Crepuscular (Kreh-PUS-kyuh-lur, adj.) – Dim, indistinct; relating to, occurring in or resembling twilight (i.e., a crepuscular light; or crepuscular insects).
Fop (noun) – From my beloved American Heritage Dictionary: “A vain, affected man who is preoccupied with his clothes and manners; a dandy.” As an adjective: foppish. Both fairly common words — but still fun to use!
Fulvous (FULL-vuss, adj.) – Tawny; brownish-yellow or -gray. Familiar to birders from the fulvous whistling duck, which I had never heard of till I unwittingly photographed a gaggle in Florida, much to the excitement of my bird-loving friends (apparently they are rare in this country).
Gobbledygook (GOB-ul-dee-gook — with the final oo pronounced like good; noun) – I wanted to include this terrific term, as it’s in the file-name for my weird vocab list (“Confusticated gobbledygook”). According to Merriam-Webster, gobbledygook is “wordy and generally unintelligible jargon”; entertaining synonyms include rigmarole, hooey, amphigory, cant, drivel, bosh, balderdash and bunk.
Hortatory (HOR-tuh-tor-ee, adj.) – Related to exhort, it is almost a synonym: “urging to some course of conduct or action” (Dictionary.com).
Meshugana (meh-SHOOG-uh-nuh — again, with the oo pronounced as in good; noun) – Sometimes spelled meshugener, it is Yiddish slang for a crazy person (“meshug” = crazy, insane).
Micturate (MIK-chur-ate, verb) – To pass urine. I simply cannot remember where I encountered this word — nor have I ever heard anybody use it; maybe best not to try starting a trend with this anyway.
Moue (MOO, noun) – “A pouting grimace.” Another fairly common word that I have always loved. Definition from The Random House College Dictionary — just to spread the love around a bit among my many dictionaries.
Patulous (PATCH-uh-luss, adj.) – Spreading, open, expanded, gaping — especially when describing a plant or tree in botany.
Thrummy (THRUM-ee, adj.) – As a noun, thrum is an unwoven thread or fringe that sticks out. So thrummy means shaggy or “tufted.”
Happy New Year! And as for weird words: Here’s to many more in 2024!
