It was a casual food tasting event, the wise PR lady mentioned a word that got us all stumped. “What the hell is that?” we asked in unison. Thanks to Veronica from Sixth Sense, we’ve decided to find out more odd/weird words you never knew about. So the next time you have a date, want to impress your friends or simply quiz your mates, use the words below.
1) Poppysmic
Definition: Refers to the noise produced by smacking the lips together.
It comes from the Latin poppysma, via the defunct French popisme. Romans used the original for a kind of lip-smacking, clucking noise that signified satisfaction and approval, especially during lovemaking. In French, it referred to the tongue-clicking tsk-tsk sound that riders use to encourage their mounts.
Used in: “Florry whispers to her. Whispering lovewords murmur, liplapping loudly, poppysmic plopslop”
2) Cachinnate
Definition: To laugh very, very loudly. Think of that friend who has to stop laughing before anyone can even contemplate moving on to the next topic of conversation.
Used in: “That party last night was so rambunctious that none of us could stop cachinnating.”
3) Uhtceare
Definition: Lying awake before dawn and worrying.
Used in: “Knowing that some object he owned had been secretly put in the toilet bowl, Jerry lay awake, plagued by uhtceare.”
4) Zarf
Definition: The cup-shaped holder for a hot coffee cup that keeps you from burning your fingers.
Used in: “In the olden days, zarfs were typically metal or ornamental. These days they’re referred to as ‘one of those little cardboard thingys.”
5) Ferrule
Definition: The protective point or knob on the far end of an umbrella.
Used in: “Go point that ferrule at someone else you rapscallion”
6) Lunule
Definition: A crescent-shaped body part or marking (such as the whitish mark at the base of a fingernail)
Used in: “He folded his hands together to give an impression of calm, but the ragged skin below his lunules told another story.”
7) Snollygoster
Definition: An unscrupulous, untrustworthy person.
Used in: “I’m not voting for Kevin Rudd or Tony Abbott, they’re both complete snollygosters.”
8) Dysania
Definition: The state of finding it hard to get out of bed in the morning.
Used in: “My crippling dysania prevented me from getting out of bed this morning, and that is why you should not fire me for missing that super-duper-important meeting.”
9) Jehu
Definition: A fast or furious driver.
Used in: “So I’ve got an idea for a movie. We get a bunch of jehus—well, that’s about it.”
10) Egrote
Definition: To feign sickness in order to avoid work.
Used in: “Among lazy men, egroting is a pursuit of perfection.”
