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Zarf (n) – ornamental hot coffee cup holder |
Strigil (n) – skin scraper |
Smew (n) – fish eating diving duck |
Omphaloskepsis (n) – the contemplation of one's navel |
Soporific (adj) – Sleep inducing |
Triskidecaphobia (n) – fear of the number 13 |
Duniwassal (n) – a Scottish highland gentleman of secondary rank |
Farkleberry (n) – an inedible blackberry |
Churl (n) – an uncultured person |
Sporran (n) – a pouch usually of skin with the hair or fur on that is worn in front of the kilt with Scots Highland dress
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Spinney (n) – a thicket |
Fungible (adj) – interchangeable |
Quark (n) – subatomic particle |
Obfuscation (n) – communication calculated to confuse |
Circumlocution (n) – a roundabout way of speaking |
Ilk (n) – family, class, or kind |
Dingo (n) – wild Australian dog |
Primogeniture (n) – being first born |
Foible (n) – a minor character flaw |
Hemisemidemiquaver (n) – a 1/64th note |
Stet (v) – cancel correction |
Pecadillo (n) – a slight offense |
Fubsy (adj) – plump |
Surd (n) – irrational root |
Sine qua non (expression) – a necessity |
OOPT (acronym) – Of Or Pertaining To |
Collop (n) – a layer of fat |
Quid pro quo (expression) – what for what |
Faux pas (expression) – a social error |
NQOCD – Not Quite Our Class Dear |
Quorum (n) – the minimum number of members of a group needed to conduct business |
Noblesse oblige (expression) – high station demands high standards |
Mnemonic (n) – memory aid |
Lustrum (n) – a period of five years |
Xyster (n) – bone scraper |
Pixilated (adj) – slightly screwy |
Rigadoon (n) – a lively dance for two |
Sesquidoon (n) – a lively dance for one and a half |
Withershins – in the opposite direction |
Quintissential (adj) – the most typical example |
Defenestrate (v) – to throw out a window |
Zounds (expression) – a mild oath |
Flygit (n) – typographers mnemonic |
Synonym (n) – a word that means the same as the other word |
Antonym (n) – a word that means the opposite of the other word |
Homonym (n) – a word that sounds like another word, is spelled differently and means something different |
Acronym (n) – a word made up of the first letter or letters of another word |
Ampersand (n) – (and per se and) symbol for "and" |
Incunabulum (n) – a book printed before 1501 A.D. |
Cognoscente (n) – well informed person |
Bis – repeat |
Maven (n) – connoisseur |
Bowdlerise (v) – to remove parts considered indelicate |
Prefix (n) – letter or letters added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning |
Suffix (n) – letter or letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning |
Infix (n) – letter or letters added to the be middle of a word to change its meaning |
Affix (n) – letter or letters added to a word to change its meaning or a prefix, suffix or infix |
Dipthong (n) – two vowels sounded on the same syllable |
Dieresis (n) – two dots over the second of two adjoining vowels to show that they do not form a dipthong |
Ultima (n) – last syllable of a word |
Penult (n) – next to last syllable in a word |
Antepenult (n) – the syllable preceeding the penult |
Quanult (n) – the syllable preceeding the antepenult |
Onomatopoeia (n) – where the sound of a word shows its meaning |
Placebo (n) – inert pill |
Poltergeist (n) – noisy ghost |
Macron (n) – straight line over a vowel to make it long |
Breve (n) – curved line over a vowel to make it short |
Antecedent (n) – Noun or pronoun to which a pronoun refers |
Somnambulist (n) – sleepwalker |
Funambulist (n) – tightrope walker |
Yoiks (n) – a word that denotes exclamation |
Aviary (n) – a place for birds |
Apiary (n) – a place for bees |
Diptych (n) – two piece panel |
Triptych (n) – three piece panel |
Boondoggle (n or v) – to work on useless matters |
Participle (n) – verbal adjective |
Gerund (n) – verbal noun |
Ambergris (n) – whale vomit used in perfume |
Auxilliary (n) – helping verb |
Erg (n) – a unit of energy |
Googol (n) – one preceeding one hundred zeros |
Ibid (expression) – the same |
Persona non grata (expression) – an unwelcome person |
Bibliography (n) – source material |
Quid pro quo (expression) – what for what |
Veni, vidi, vici (expression) – I came, I saw, I conquered |
Dum spiro, spero (expression) – while there is life there is hope |
Pejorative (n or adj) – a degrading word |
Status quo (expression) – the existing state of affairs |
Alea iacata est (expression) – the die has been cast |
Logophile (n) – a word lover |
Festoon (n & v) – ornamental strip |
Ecdysiast (n) – strip tease artist |
Pixilated (adj) – slightly screwy |
Phoneme (n) – smallest unit of sound |
Morpheme (n) – smallest unit of meaning |
Cardinal (n) – a number that does not show order (e.g. one, two) |
Ordinal (n) – a number theat shows order (e.g. first, second) |
Queue (n) – line-up |
Clept (past participle) – called |
Micro (prefix) – small |
Graph (affix) – OOPT writing |
Sesqui (prefix) – one and one half |
Phon (affix) – sound |
Fid (n) – tapered bar |
Xenophobia (n) – fear of foreigners |
Strigg (verb or noun) – to gyp |
Horometrist (n) – hour measurer |
Metr (affix) – measure |
Panache (n) – style |
Pap (n) – soft food for infants |
Quinquennial (adj) – oopt a five year period |
Purfle (verb and noun) – to ornament with metallic thread |
Acrophobia (n) – fear of heights |
A – the alpha privative (prefix negating the root meaning) |
Alpha & Omega – first and last letters of the Greek alphabet |
Beta – second letter of the Greek alphabet |
Poly(prefix) – many |
Muckrake (v) – to disclose corruption |
Palindrome (n) – word or words that read(s) the same backwards or forwards |
Iconoclast (n) – destroyer of images |
Tilde (n) – wavy line over a Spanish n |
Dipsomaniacal(adj) – oopt dipsomaniac (lush-drunk) |
Jingoist (n) – one who isexcessively patriotic |
Chauvanist (n) – synonym of jingoist |
Zounds (exclamation) – an exclamation |
Quark (n) – subatomic particle |
Brouhaha (n) – hubbub |
Donnybrook (n) – brawl |
Joseph (n) – nothing, none |
Phil (affix) – fond of |
I.E. (affix) – id est (that is) |
Virgula (n) – a diagonal |
Drelb (n) – a mini-dragon |
Bar sinister (n) – a heraldic line from left to right denoting bastardy |
Salic law (n) – law excluding females from inheritance |
Qua (expression) – as, in the capacity of |
Mycologist (n) – fungus expert |
Frippery (n) – showy finery |
Crux (n) – essential part (of an argument) |
Interdigitation (n) – intertwining of fingers and/or toes |
Firkin (n) – 1/4 barrel sized wooden container |
Barm (n) – yeasty foam. Foamy yeast |
Hallucal (adj) – oopt the big toe |
Nark (n) – stool pidgeon |
Calophon (n) – publisher's emblem |
Derivative (n) – a word that has its origin from another word |
Pavane (n) – a stately dance for couples |
Caudal (adj) – oopt the tail |
Foible (n) – minor flaw |
Narcissist (n) – self lover |
Calligraph (n) – oopt writing |
Teratophobia (n) – fear of monsters |
Logy (suffix) – study of |
Mono (prefix) – one |
Ochlocracy (n) – mob rule |
Cracy (suffix) – oopt government |
Extrapolate (v) – to predict the unknown from the known |
Hasta luego (expression) – so long |
Billingsgate (n) – coarse language |
Ped (affix) – oopt the foot |
Seasquipedian (n or adj) – oopt long words |
Empirical (adj) – based on observation |
Decibel (n) – unit of sound |
Schwa (n) – unaccented mid-central vowel |
Bleb (n) – air bubble |
Quatrain (n) – four lines of poetry |
Couplet (n) – two lines of poetry |
Cide (suffix) – killing of |
Quibble (v or n) – in argument to evade the real point |
Larynx (n) – Adam's apple |
Nullity (n) – a Joseph |
Cetology (n) – study of whales |
Selenology (n) – study of whales |
Limerick (n) – five line poem with aabba rhyme scheme |
Numismatic (adj) – oopt coins |
Gnomen (n) – pointer on a sundial |
Lepidopterist (n) – butterfly chaser |
Blurb (n) – short sales pitch |
Luddite (n) – machinery smasher |
Wyvern (n) – winged dragon |
Orgule (n) – the phoneme of -r |
Wickiup (n) – Native American single room dome like dwelling |
Nosegay (n) – Posey (ies) |
Shibboleth (n) – slogan |
Ack-ack (n) – anti-aircraft fire |
Bifurcate (v) – to spit |
Euphony (n) – good sound |
Eu (prefix) – good |
ufologist (n) – studyer of UFOs |
Comment allez-vous? (expression) – how are you? |
Plinth (n) – square base |
Abeyance (n) – suspension |
Coup d'etat (expression) – overthrow of a government |
Transitive (n) – oopt a verb that takes an object |
Ergo (adv or conjunction) – therefore |
Vute (n) – a vowel or a mute 'h" |
Verbose (adj) – wordy |
Prolix (adj) – wordy |
Fandango (n) – lively Spanish dance |
Nouveau riche (expression) – newly rich |
Truffle (n) – tasty fungus |
Dernier cri (expression) – the very latest thing |
Ichtyologist (n) – studyer of fish |
Comme ci, comme ca (expression) – so-so |
Philatelist (n) – stamp lover |
Cacographer (n) – an illegible writer |
Euthanasia (n) – mercy killing |
Kleptomania (n) – obsessive urge to steal |
Savoir faire (expression) – social know-how |
Sang froid (expression) – coolness under pressure |
Heirloom (n) – something passed on from generation to generation |
Cornucopia (n) – horn of plenty |
Thaumaturge (n) – miracle worker |
Wadi (n) – gully |
Umlaut (n) – double dots over German vowels |
Loquacious (aj) – talkative |
Thanks: David Rubel, Jonathan Silver, Andy Dorfman.
– Stephen Beer
Another Nathaniel F. Glidden tribute
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