![]() ![]() “A book or manual suitable for carrying about with one for ready reference a handbook or guidebook,” according to the OED. TapsterĪn Anglo-Indian word for a light meal. “cheap, vulgar decoration” the other is ambition or the will to succeed. ![]() Byrne’s Dictionary: One is gimcrackery (a word coined by Ben Franklin, by the way), a.k.a. There are two possible definitions of this word, according to Mrs. There are multiple definitions for this frankly wonderful phrase, which dates to 1670: “a person or animal who slobbers (in various senses) one who drools copiously or excessively a messy or noisy eater or drinker a wet or enthusiastic kisser,” according to the OED. Pretty much exactly what it sounds like: something that scares a baby. The Queen’s Gambit is scacchic-“of or pertaining to chess,” according to the OED. Kubra Cavus // iStock via Getty images Plus Used up until the first half of the 19th century, rummers were usually round and short with a thick stem. RummerĪccording to the OED, this 17th-century word for a large glass for wine or boozy beverage probably has its roots in Dutch, Middle Low German, and German. RecubationĪ mid-17th-century word for lying down. RechauffeĪ verb, dating to the 15th century, that means “To warm again to turn (leftovers) into a new dish,” according to the OED. ![]() The next time you encounter a coward, call them by another name: quakebuttock. Pozzy-wallahīritish slang for “a man inordinately fond of jam,” according to The Long Trail: What the British Soldier Sang and Said in the Great War of 1914-18. OneirodyniaĪccording to one book, published in 1800, an oneirodynia is “inflamed or disturbed imagination during sleep”-in other words, a nightmare. I drink every known alcoholic drink and enjoy them all.” 41. Mencken, who once wrote, “I am ombibulous. ![]() Byrne’s Dictionary, ombibulous describes “someone who drinks everything.” It was coined by H.L. Krisanapong detraphiphat // iStock via Getty Images PlusĪccording to Mrs. According to the OED, a second usage that popped up not long after this one is “Worthless or inferior literature any written or printed material that is perceived as useless, tedious, or unnecessary.” In other words, pages you could probably use as toilet paper. Why yes, this is a 17th-century word for toilet paper. BaragouinĪnother word for gibberish that dates back to the early 1600s. Taken from the Old English bæc-berende, this law term means “bearing on the back,” according to the Oxford English Dictionary, and refers to a person who is caught while carrying off stolen goods. This fancy word for theft dates back to the 16th century. The following terms for everyday things are ones you'll want to add to your lexicon ASAP. As its name promises (and by design), the book is full of weird and wonderful words-some for things decidedly exotic, and many for things we experience regularly. Byrne’s Dictionary of Unusual, Obscure, and Preposterous Words, one of the dictionaries Catherine O’Hara used to tweak her iconic character's lines. If your dream is to talk like Moira Rose from Schitt’s Creek, look no further than Mrs. ![]()
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