Last year at this time, Webb’s Weird Words carried one of my favorite columns — a list of made-up terms in honor of April Fools’ Day; mostly, I wanted to see just how far through the piece my readers would get before figuring out they’d been had.
This April 1, I tried for a group of words that only look made up; but these are all real. Honest.
Algaroba (al-guh-ROE-buh, noun) – Mexican/Spanish word for either carob or mesquite. Both leguminous plants (that is, they bear peas or beans), these are found, respectively, in the Mediterranean and the American Southwest. The word derives from the Arabic al-kharruba, which (like algaroba) actually contains an older form of carob.
Charivari (shiv-uh-REE, noun) – Alternate version of shivaree — “a mock serenade with kettles, pans, horns, and other noisemakers given for a newly married couple”; can also mean any elaborate noise or celebration. All that is from Dictionary.com, which indicates that charivari has four different pronunciations! I went with the single offering at Merriam-Webster online — which pretty much matches its principal spelling.
Fewtrils (FYOO-trilz, noun) – British slang for trifles, or things of little value (Collins).
Gris-gris (GREE-gree, noun) – An African fetish, talisman, amulet, voodoo charm, spell or incantation believed capable of warding off evil — and bringing good luck to oneself, or misfortune to another (Merriam-Webster; Microsoft Encarta). Also spelled grigri or greegree.
Kameez (kuh-MEEZ, noun) – “A long tunic worn in the Indian subcontinent, often with shalwar.” The latter indicates loose, pajama-like trousers for both men and women — pronounced SHUL-wahr. (Dictionary.com, partly via Collins)
Olykoek (ALL-uh-cook, noun) – Doughnut. Dialectical slang of the Hudson Valley — from a Dutch term meaning “oilseed cake” (take out seed and you basically have this word).
Incidentally: Despite the fact that it’s now been respelled with just five letters, our word doughnut means exactly that: a treat in the shape of a nut (i.e., the holed piece of hardware) — and made out of dough.
I guess that’s why we tend to bolt these down. (Sorry — just couldn’t resist.)
Pickelhaube (PICK-ul-how-buh [or with the stress on HOW], noun) – A spiked helmet worn by German soldiers in the 19th and 20th centuries. It’s not in most of my dictionaries — so I can’t swear to this pronunciation. But then again, I doubt many of us plan to say it out loud very often.
Sapajou (SAP-uh-joo, noun) – A capuchin or spider monkey; from French and Tupi (the latter being a people and language of Brazil).
Schmegeggy Since this is likewise not in most of my dictionaries, I thought I’d take a shot and ask AI. Here’s what I got:
“Yiddish-derived slang term for a contemptible, foolish, or stupid person…. Usually pronounced shmuh-GEG-ee or shmuh-GEH-guh…. alternative spellings: shmegegge, schmegegge, shmegege…. Similar to other Yiddish-based insults like schmuck, schlub, or schlemiel.” I hereby give you permission to say this out loud just as often as you like; but be careful.
Trichotillomania (tri-kuh-till-uh-MAY-nee-uh, noun) – This seven-syllable mouthful is, once again, not found in most of my dictionaries; but it is at Wikipedia — and merriam-webster.com, which defines it as “an abnormal desire to pull out one’s hair. Abbreviated TTM, it is a mental disorder of indeterminate origin — and somewhat tough to cure (Wikipedia).
So again — these are all real, and not just an April Fools’ gag. But of course, that doesn’t mean I won’t try something funny next year.
Just don’t pull your hair out worrying over it.
