The "I discovered a new word today" thread

[RED-DOG]

Monarchy = rule by one sovereign
Oligarchy = rule by a few
Patriarchy = rule by a man
Matriarchy = rule by a woman
Anarchy = rule by no one
Synarchy = rule by two or more parties

Thank you.

I can't believe I've never linked words like monarchy and anarchy before.

[neeko]

I was under the impression that in regular day to day use, "oligarch" particularly applied to Russians?

Maybe it is because Russia has so many of them.

They don't live in Russia, they live loudly in the west and hope that Putin makes the judgement that they are too famous to be retired from public view.

[RED-DOG]

Courtesy of Radio 4.


1. Owl Jacket

Taken from the Italian ‘Giacca civetta', which refers to a jacket left on the back of a chair at work, so it looks like you are in the office working, rather than skiving at Costa.

“I’ve just noticed that Brian’s owl jacket has been there since 1994, which was the last time I actually saw him.”

2. Flype

An Old English word meaning to roll up your socks, stockings, leggings or jeggings, before putting them on. Though the word is originally English, it has been lost in England but still survives in Scotland to this day!

“I’ll be out in a minute Your Eminence, just need to flype my socks and slip my sandals on.”

3. Leper juice

An old medical term that refers to the pus found in the wounds of the afflicted. Thankfully it fell out of use due to its general horribleness.

“Thanks a lot Nigel, now you’ve got leper juice all over me.”

4. Vizzying-hole

A Scots word for a peephole in a door, derived from the Old French word visée meaning ‘look’.

“Sheila, have a quick shufty through the vizzying-hole and see if the maid’s coming while I stuff these towels in the suitcase.”

5. Uhtceare

An Old English word meaning to lie awake anxiously before dawn. Literally translated from the Old English it means the 'dawn-care'. It's similar to insomnia'(though more time-specific) in that it is a name (or noun) given to the state of being sleepless.

“Sorry about all the yawning, I had uhtceare because I was worrying about how I'm going to use up all of the courgettes.”

6. Sloom

To gently sleep or lightly slumber, from the Middle English slumen and the Old English slūmian.

“Sorry about the slooming, I had a bit of uhtceare because of my courgettes.”

7. Biffin

A deep red cooking apple. The name derives from ‘beefing’, in reference to the colour of the fruit. People would often exchange biffins at Christmastime.

“Great, I’ve got Norman in the Secret Santa. I hope he likes biffins because that’s all he’s getting.”

8. Gongoozler

A person who likes to mindlessly stare (at anything). If only we all had more time to stare idly and do nothing. The word survives in and around the canal boat community, to this day.

“Yeah, I’ll try and make it to your wedding, but I’ve got a lot of gongoozling planned for that weekend.”

9. Snollygoster

A 19th century American term for an unprincipled, dishonest person, especially a politician.

“That snollygoster came up to kiss my baby, but nicked my phone when I wasn’t looking.”

10. Mumpsimus

An obstinate person who holds on rigidly to a certain set of beliefs even though they are wrong or disproved. The term may have been coined by Erasmus.

“That silly mumpsimus still thinks Sporty was the best Spice Girl when everybody knows it was Posh.”

11. Wamblecropt

To have digestive issues that are so severe, you can’t physically move.

“I should never have had that sixteen piece chicken finger combo pack and Viennetta all to myself, now I’m wamblecropt.”

12. Groke

An old Scots word originally used to describe dogs staring longingly at food in order to be given some, but extended to refer to anyone gazing at grub.

“Please don’t groke at my sixteen piece chicken finger combo pack and Viennetta, it’s starting to upset me.”

13. Trullibubs

Another word for a person’s entrails, but can also be an insulting term aimed at an overweight person.

“Oi, trullibubs, did you just scoff my sixteen piece chicken finger combo pack and Viennetta?”

14. Sprunt

Not the soft drink that Alan Partridge was sponsored by, but a Victorian-era Scottish word meaning to chase girls around a haystack after dark. Possibly a combination of ‘spring’ and ‘hunt’.

“I really fancy a sprunt. All we need is a haystack, some girls and to wait for eight hours.”

[Karabiner]

I think we know a mumpsimus quite well, in fact I'm going to refer to him as His Mumpsiness henceforth.

[rfgqqabc]

Great collection Red Dog, thanks!

I came across this word, bizarrely on a youtube comments show. Is it common?

gamut
ˈɡamət/
noun
1.
the complete range or scope of something.

[RED-DOG]

Great collection Red Dog, thanks!

I came across this word, bizarrely on a youtube comments show. Is it common?

gamut
ˈɡamət/
noun
1.
the complete range or scope of something.

Yes, at least I'm familiar with it. "The whole gamut of emotions".

[Longines]

Bigly.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-37483869

[tikay]

Great collection Red Dog, thanks!

I came across this word, bizarrely on a youtube comments show. Is it common?

gamut
ˈɡamət/
noun
1.
the complete range or scope of something.

Yes, at least I'm familiar with it. "The whole gamut of emotions".

It's a very common word where I come from, but I've only ever heard it used in that exact context (see "grassy knoll") - whole gamut of emotions, or the whole gamut.

Wiki has it far more specialised - as in a complete subset of colours in photography or computer graphics = a gamut of colours.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamut

[RED-DOG]

Quick question for the wordley wise.

Is it "Sunk without trace" or "Sank without trace" or is it like that well known Sarf London couple Eva/Ivor?

[TightEnd]

Quick question for the wordley wise.

Is it "Sunk without trace" or "Sank without trace" or is it like that well known Sarf London couple Eva/Ivor?

i'd always used sunk but thinking about it think either is fine depending on sentence construction

"it sank without trace" or "the titanic sunk without trace"

[Tal]

Quick question for the wordley wise.

Is it "Sunk without trace" or "Sank without trace" or is it like that well known Sarf London couple Eva/Ivor?

i'd always used sunk but thinking about it think either is fine depending on sentence construction

"it sank without trace" or "the titanic sunk without trace"

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/sink

Historically, the past tense of sink has been both sank and sunk (the boat sank; the boat sunk) and the past participle has been both sunk and sunken (the boat had already sunk; the boat had already sunken). In modern English the past is generally sank and the past participle is sunk, with the form sunken now surviving only as an adjective, as in a sunken garden or sunken cheeks

[MintTrav]

It sank.

It has sunk.

[Tal]

It sank.

It has sunk.

Exactly

[RED-DOG]

Quick question for the wordley wise.

Is it "Sunk without trace" or "Sank without trace" or is it like that well known Sarf London couple Eva/Ivor?

i'd always used sunk but thinking about it think either is fine depending on sentence construction

"it sank without trace" or "the titanic sunk without trace"

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/sink

Historically, the past tense of sink has been both sank and sunk (the boat sank; the boat sunk) and the past participle has been both sunk and sunken (the boat had already sunk; the boat had already sunken). In modern English the past is generally sank and the past participle is sunk, with the form sunken now surviving only as an adjective, as in a sunken garden or sunken cheeks

Chapter and verse, that's what I wanted. Not some vague "either is fine depending on sentence construction".

[RED-DOG]

I seem to have lost a word today. It means to change someone's mind and would be used in a sentence like, "I'll soon - - - - you of that notion".