Odds and Ends, Archive 6
And Now For Something a Little Different...
Certainly irrelevant and a little irreverent, for a change of pace we present here Seven Sisters’ list of the COOLEST words we know, but have been unable to use appropriately in an uncontrived or non-technical sentence. This is, in essence, a ‘bucket-list’ of words we plan to use - in either conversation or writing - before we die. (There's also one UNCOOL word at the bottom - those of you who have asked me to proofread your work know which word I'm talking about.)
Some of these have been long-time favorites, some emerge from our past history as a curmudgeonly old biology teacher, and some have shown up in our ‘word-of-the-day’ e-mail subscription.
All definitions were verified by the on-line version of Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary at http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/
If you have some 'Cool Words' of your own, please share by sending me an e-mail - jack@sevensistersenviron.com
Cool Words
bonnyclabber (n) – sour milk that has been thickened or curdled
Why we think it’s cool –
The word sounds like what it is,,, “He forcefully and unceremoniously spewed a mouthful of bonnyclabber all over the formal dining room after he’d swigged what he thought was a cool, refreshing glass of milk.”
bricolage (n) – construction achieved by using whatever comes to hand; also: something constructed in this way
Why we think it’s cool –
Our house is awash with bricolage
bumbershoot (n) – umbrella
Why we think it’s cool –
If an alien (played by John Cleese) landed on our planet and was asked to match words to objects, we’re pretty sure he’d match ‘bumbershoot’ correctly.
circumambulate (v) – 1: to walk or go around; especially: to walk or go around an object of worship or reverence or in a ritual circular course 2: to wander about at leisure without definite purpose or as a result of indirection (transitive v): to walk around especially ritualistically
Why we think it’s cool –
Our all-time favorite word. A few years ago we first saw this word in National Geographic article on Nepalese Monks describing a ritual they practice every morning around their temple. The spoken word has a wonderfully appropriate rhythm and its Latin roots are precisely descriptive.
crwth (n) – an ancient Celtic stringed instrument that is plucked or bowed
Why we think it’s cool –
The only word we know that is truly vowel-less (using the ‘.. and sometimes y’ definition of a vowel).
deus ex machina (n) – a person or thing (as in fiction or drama) that appears or is introduced suddenly and unexpectedly and provides a contrived solution to an apparently insoluble difficulty
Why we think it’s cool –
When we came across this word, our first thought was “Bobby Ewing… Dallas,,, 1986”. We wonder if there’s an equivalent word for the cleaver and surprising use of the same plot device? Ref. – the season ending episode of “Newhart” in 1990.
gadzookery (n) – British: the use of archaisms (as in a historical novel)
Why we think it’s cool –
Are you kidding? How can this NOT be a favorite word? Can you imagine a room full of stuffy British English majors discussing a particular author’s inappropriate use of gadzookery? What fun!
gruntle (v) – to put in a good humor
Why we think it’s cool –
A clever back-formation from disgruntle. “I’m a little gruntled today by the bright sunshine and gentle, warm breezes”.
higgledy-piggledy (adv) – in a confused, disordered, or random manner
Why we think it’s cool –
We grew up down the street from a Piggly-Wiggly grocery store with products stocked higgledy-piggledy on the shelves. There’s a harmonic convergence between ‘Piggly-Wiggly’ and 'higgledy-piggledy' that seems symmetric and necessary.
kludge (n) – a system and especially a computer system made up of poorly matched components
Why we think it’s cool –
Bricolage and kludge – we have lots of hands-on experience with both.
non-sequitur (n) – an inference that does not follow from the premises; specifically: a fallacy resulting from a simple conversion of a universal affirmative proposition or from the transposition of a condition and its consequent (literally from the Latin – “It does not follow”)
Why we think it’s cool –
“…a fallacy resulting from a simple conversion of a universal affirmative proposition or from the transposition of a condition and its consequent …”. WHOA!!!! WE haven’t a CLUE what that means, but we know one when we see one (see “Pseudotsuga” below). Plus – it’s a great comic strip!
nebbish (n) – a timid, meek, or ineffectual person
Why we think it’s cool –
We don’t need to see the definition to know one when we meet one.
Pseudotsuga (n) – (as in Pseudotsuga menziesii, Douglas Fir) a genus of American and Asiatic evergreen trees (family Pinaceae) having whorled branches, linear flat leaves, monoecious flowers, and pendulous rather large cones that have the bracts longer than the cone scales and the midrib of each produced into a rigid awn and two pointed lobes
Why we think it’s cool –
Latin pseudo = false and tsuga = hemlock. We call this tree “Douglas Fir”, but it’s neither a hemlock nor a fir. The Latin should translate "false fir", not "false hemlock" The genus name for fir trees is Abies, so the Latin name would be Pseudoabies -- but that sounds too much like a disease that no genteel gentleman or honorable lady would admit to contracting. So I guess Pseudotsuga is better for polite company. A perfect “know-it-when-we –see-it” non-sequitur.
skimble-skamble (adj) – rambling and confused: senseless
Why we think it’s cool –
The adjective equivalent to the adverb ‘higgledy-piggledy’ (see above)
thank-you-ma’am (n) – a bump or depression in a road; especially: a ridge or hollow made across a road on a hillside to cause water to run off
Why we think it’s cool –
One can only imagine the etymological origins
transmogrify (v) – to change or alter greatly and often with grotesque or humorous effect
Why we think it’s cool –
We thought this was a Calvin and Hobbes invention. Turns out, this word has been around since at least the 19th century. Although I do think Calvin is appropriately credited with the invention of the Transmogrifier Ray Gun.
turophile (n) – a connoisseur of cheese: a cheese fancier
Why we think it’s cool –
ACT flashback –
oenophile : wino as turophile : Seven Sisters CEO (colloquially known as ‘cheese boy’)
But we all have our dreams…
vaporware (n) – a computer-related product that has been widely advertised but has not and may never become available
Why we think it’s cool –
It’s just so darn clever.
Xanthocephalus (n) – (as in Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus, Yellow-headed blackbird) – a genus of blackbirds comprising only the yellow-headed blackbird of western North America
Why we think it’s cool –
Another biology teacher flashback… one that rolls off the tongue with a satisfying rhythm. And this one says exactly what it is; xantho = yellow, as in xanthophyll, xanthochroia, xanthogen, and xanthophore . And cephal = head. And just to emphasize the point, “…second verse is same as the first”. Trivia question – who was the lead singer in the group that made that refrain famous in 1965? For answer, click HERE
Uncool Words - just one
utilize (v) - to make useful : turn to profitable account or use : make use of: convert to use (synonym see USE)
Why we think it’s UNCOOL –
It’s visually ugly, verbally inefficient, and overused (might we say ‘overutilized’?). It’s a waste of three syllables to convey no more information, nuance, tone, or feeling than the simple, elegant word - ‘use’.