18 obsolete words, which never should have gone out of style

RobertSwanderson · 01 Jan 2007

http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/195348/ ... -of-style/

Quote:

18 obsolete words, which never should have gone out of style
By Carmel Lobello 77 days ago

Just like facts and flies, English words have life-spans. Some are thousands of years old, from before English officially existed, others change, or are replaced or get ditched entirely.

Here are 18 uncommon or obsolete words that we think may have died early. We found them in two places: a book called “The Word Museum: The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten” by Jeffrey Kacirk, and on a blog called Obsolete Word of The Day that’s been out of service since 2010. Both are fantastic— you should check them out.

Snoutfair: A person with a handsome countenance — “The Word Museum: The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten” by Jeffrey Kacirk

Pussyvan: A flurry, temper — “The Word Museum: The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten” by Jeffrey Kacirk

Wonder-wench: A sweetheart — “The Word Museum: The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten” by Jeffrey Kacirk

Lunting: Walking while smoking a pipe — John Mactaggart’s “Scottish Gallovidian Encyclopedia,” 1824

California widow: A married woman whose husband is away from her for any extended period — John Farmer’s “Americanisms Old and New”, 1889

Groak: To silently watch someone while they are eating, hoping to be invited to join them – http://www.ObsoleteWord.Blogspot.com

Jirble: To pour out (a liquid) with an unsteady hand: as, he jirbles out a dram — http://www.Wordnik.com

Curglaff: The shock felt in bathing when one first plunges into the cold water — John Jamieson’s Etymological Scottish Dictionary, 1808

Spermologer: A picker-up of trivia, of current news, a gossip monger, what we would today call a columnist — “The Word Museum: The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten” by Jeffrey Kacirk

Tyromancy: Divining by the coagulation of cheese — “The Word Museum: The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten” by Jeffrey Kacirk

Beef-witted: Having an inactive brain, thought to be from eating too much beef. — John Phin’s “Shakespeare Cyclopaedia and Glossary”, 1902

Queerplungers: Cheats who throw themselves into the water in order that they may be taken up by their accomplices, who carry them to one of the houses appointed by the Humane Society for the recovery of drowned persons, where they are rewarded by the society with a guinea each, and the supposed drowned person, pretending he was driven to that extremity by great necessity, is also frequently sent away with a contribution in his pocket. — “The Word Museum: The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten” by Jeffrey Kacirk

Englishable: That which may be rendered into English — John Ogilvie’s “Comprehensive English Dictionary”, 1865

Resistentialism: The seemingly spiteful behavior shown by inanimate objects — http://www.ObsoleteWord.Blogspot.com

Bookwright: A writer of books; an author; a term of slight contempt — Daniel Lyons’s “Dictionary of the English Language”, 1897

Soda-squirt: One who works at a soda fountain in New Mexico — Elsie Warnock’s “Dialect Speech in California and New Mexico”, 1919

With squirrel: Pregnant — Vance Randolph’s “Down in the Holler: A Gallery of Ozark Folk Speech”, 1953

Zafty: A person very easily imposed upon — Maj. B. Lowsley’s “A Glossary of Berkshire Words and Phrases”, 1888

Junkie Luv · 17 Apr 2005

I think I know a pussyvan.

Queen Vicky · 26 Jan 2007

I can't for the live of me think of why pussyvan and queerplunger went out of style. :lol:

I thought there should be an alternate parody of Wonder Woman called Wonder Wench, but then I searched it online and found it was done in porn, don't know if it's related to Woman or not though.

I told Ian he should walk around with his pipe more so he could say he was lunting.

I really really want to find reasons to use zafty in conversations now.

and maybe resistentialism too, cause I've certainly encountered that by many an object in my lifetime. hah

RobertSwanderson · 01 Jan 2007

Beef-witted is my new default retort.

Brotoro · 12 Apr 2008

I see where I might be able to use "soda-squirt" since I live in New Mexico, but what good will that word do the rest of the country's inhabitants?

Queen Vicky · 26 Jan 2007

It's a step towards solving the obesity problem, since the thought of a soda that was squirted sounds quite unappealing.

Bubbles · **Joined:** 28 Jul 2005 **Posts:** 21507

I read that as "18 obscene words, which never should have gone out of style."

I was disappointed. This thread was still cool though.

HanLolol · 13 May 2011

today I shall go a-lunting with my glorious wonder-wench

Simon · **Joined:** 26 Oct 2006 **Posts:** 59407

I've seen a lot of groaking without ever knowing the proper name for it.

Tommy Tomorrow · 13 Jun 2006

LURD

Should be a word.

1) A person so lazy that they bitch about having to operate a TV remote control.

2) A person so lazy that they bitch because they have to call an automated system
and push a button a few times to ensure their undeserved benefit check is directly deposited.

3) A person so lazy that they consider a microwave to be too much work.

4) A person whose ambition is depicted by writing LAZY with a half-sized L following and above the Y (LAZY SQUARED)

5) Me on a bad day.

Bobson Dugnutt · 31 Jan 2005

Junkie Luv wrote:

I think I know a pussyvan.

My, oh my how I laughed at this.

Brotoro · 12 Apr 2008

Queen Vicky wrote:

It's a step towards solving the obesity problem, since the thought of a soda that was squirted sounds quite unappealing.

The more common term was "soda jerk"... Does it sound better to drink a soda that was jerked?

Bobson Dugnutt · 31 Jan 2005

HanLolol wrote:

today I shall go a-lunting with my glorious wonder-wench

Careful you don't get with squirrel.

HanLolol · 13 May 2011

Queen Vicky · 26 Jan 2007

Brotoro wrote:

Queen Vicky wrote:

It's a step towards solving the obesity problem, since the thought of a soda that was squirted sounds quite unappealing.

The more common term was "soda jerk"... Does it sound better to drink a soda that was jerked?

Well if I think about it no not at all, but because I was used to that word (Unlike the squirty one) I hadn't thought of it until you mentioned it.

Mind you okay if this were the wanderground I could say something about how technically something squirted could be a hell of a lot worse...but...

Jilerb · 26 Jan 2009

There's something familiar about Jirble, but I can't quite place it. :paranoid:

Jimbo · 19 Jul 2006

Turns out I've been a long-time spermologer without even realizing it.

That meddlin kid · 26 Mar 2007

RobertSwanderson wrote:

Beef-witted is my new default retort.

I've actually encountered that expression in my reading, in a work on the Tudors written in the 1950s.

That meddlin kid · 26 Mar 2007

Simon wrote:

I've seen a lot of groaking without ever knowing the proper name for it.

Many dogs are master groakers.

Junkie Luv · 17 Apr 2005

Bobson Dugnutt wrote:

Junkie Luv wrote:

I think I know a pussyvan.

My, oh my how I laughed at this.

Then my job here is done! :lol:

Wayne Osborne · 02 Sep 2004

Jimbo wrote:

Turns out I've been a long-time spermologer without even realizing it.

We always suspected that about you...not that there's anything wrong with it.

Kid Nemo · 05 Apr 2011

Here's another word that needs reviving:"mugwump."
Not sure what it means,but it's a fun word to say.

18 obsolete words, which never should have gone out of style

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