In this second week of the new year, Webb’s Weird Words happily notches its 30th installment.

Meanwhile, your humble wordsmith keeps trying various themes to help select from the 2,300 oddball terms on his ever-expanding list of weird words. In this case, the number 30 suggested a mathematical framework: Let’s go with four factors of that figure — two sets of 15, restricted to words of five and six letters.

Here’s the first half; all are nouns unless noted, with pronunciation given only where needed:

Agouti (uh-GOO-tee) – Medium-sized rodent of South America, Central America and the West Indies; in appearance, it’s a blend of squirrel, rabbit, rat and guinea pig (but like the latter, it has no tail).

Ambeer – A slang expression used chiefly in the American South, this refers to the juice from chewing tobacco. The term derives from the amber hue of this substance; but wouldn’t that also be sort of ale-colored? In any case, I think I’ll stick with actual beer — thanks.

Bashaw – (buh-SHAW) – A person who is bossy or self-important; or maybe one who is genuinely important — like someone of significant rank. The term is a variant of the Middle Eastern word pasha, formerly used as a title for high political office in Turkey.

Chikee (chi-KEE or CHIK-ee) – Seminole Indian word for an open-sided dwelling made of thatch and stilts; in modern times, it can also refer to a temporary hut like this at the beach. Preferred spelling: chickee.

Dreck – Yiddish term for trash or rubbish. A fairly common word — but still fun!

Dybbuk (DIH-buk) – In Jewish folklore, a wandering soul or demon that enters and controls a living body; exorcised only by religious ritual.

Fecula – Foul or muddy material; “dregs.” Also, fecal matter, especially from insects. Related adjective: feculent.

Foozle (verb) – In sports, to bungle or play badly: “Dude, you really foozled that putt.” Also a noun.

Fungo – Probably well-known to many in this home of Little League, fungo is a sports term I didn’t know till quite recently; it’s the act of tossing a ball up in the air and then batting it as it descends. Can also refer to any ball hit in this manner.

Furphy – A rumor or fictitious story. Australian slang, from a type of cart made at the Furphy family foundry in that country during World War I.

Glebe – Land that yields revenue to a parish church or other ecclesiastical entity. Formerly, it meant any kind of land or soil.

Goffer – An ornamental frill, border or plaiting, especially on women’s caps. Also a verb for making these.

Guggle (verb) – To gurgle; to drink (or pour) with a glugging sound. Also a noun for this noise.

Kinkle – “A little kink.” Wait — aren’t all kinks pretty small in the first place? Who knows; I don’t make the rules — thank God.

Kludge – Listed at dictionary.com as “Computer slang” (I did not know this was a thing), kludge is defined as “a hardware or software configuration that, while inelegant, inefficient, clumsy or patched together, succeeds in solving a particular problem or performing a particular task.” (Possibly this serves to work out the kinkles, ha ha.)

Watch for the second set of 15 weird five- and six-letter words next week!