Words We Don't Use

[DianeL]

Welp, I'm American - but also a contrarian, so it's not like I'd care even if not.

I keep thinking of the scene in Big Bang Theory a couple seasons ago, when Sheldon has amassed a collection of cats for reasons irrelevant to this post, and the closing teaser of the show is him and a friend at a table that says "CATS $10) ... and they're handing out the cats - and giving $10 apiece to the takers.

Aww.

[Rowan]

curglaff - The shock felt in bathing when one first plunges into the cold water. ~ John Jamieson's Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language, 1879

Curgloft, panic-struck. Banffshire. ~ Alexander Warrack's Scots Dialect Dictionary, 1911

duopoly - A condition in which there are only two suppliers of a certain commodity, service, etc. The domination of a particular market by two firms. Hence duopolist, one member of a duopolyl duopolize, to engross between two. ~ Sir James Murray's New English Dictionary, 1893

Special coinage formed from duo, on the analogy of monopolize. ~ Robert Hunter's Encyclopædic Dictionary, 1895

timbestere - A woman who played with timbres, batons of some sort, by throwing them up into the air and catching them upon a single finger; a kind of balance-mistress. Saxon. ~ Thomas Tyrwhitt's Glossary of Poetical Works of Chaucer, 1871

[LoveHistory]

I've heard of duopoly before and I know I've experienced curglaff.

[Madeleine]

Duopoly is still used, I've heard it a few times.

[Rowan]

copulatives - Persons intending to marry; Twelfth Night. ~ C.H. Herford's Glossary of the Works of Shakespeare, 1902

gloppened - Surprised. ~ Robert Willan's List of Ancient Words of the West Riding, 1814

[From] gloppen, to stare in amazement, to be startled or frightened; to startle, frighten; gloppenedly, in a state of alarm; gloppening, distressed, sorrowful. Also aglopened, forgloppened. ~ Sir James Murray's New English Dictionary, 1888

elem - Made of elm; [similar to oaken and wooden]. ~ Edward Slow's Words Used by the Peasantry in Salisbury, c. 1900

Ellum, the elm tree. ~ William Cope's Glossary of Hampshire Words and Phrases, 1883

apologue - A moral fable; a relation of fictitious events intended to convey useful truths, such as the fables of Æsop. From Greek apologos, a fable - apo, from, and logos, discourse. ~ John Ridpath's Home Reference Library, 1898

An allegorical story intended to convey a useful lesson. Adapted from [Greek and] Latin apologus, account, story, fable to French apologue. ~ Sir James Murray's New English Dictionary, 1888

[Rowan]

kingsevil - A disease or swelling [of cervical lymph notdes]. Edward the Confessor, king of England [reigned 1042-1066] . . . received power from above to cure many diseases, among others the kingsevil, a prerogative that continues. ~ Thomas Blount's Glossographia, 1656

Belief in the supernatural authority of monarchs is but a remnant of the long supposed "divine right" of kings to govern, which resulted from the conviction that they could trace their pedigrees back to the deities. ~ Charles Hardwick's Traditions, Superstitions and Folklore, 1872

[LoveHistory]

I've heard of apologues before.

Wonder why that was called kingsevil. I get swelling in lymph nodes in my neck when I'm getting sick. Wish old Ed the Confessor was around to help with it. It's not pleasant.

[SGM]

[quote=""Rowan""]kingsevil - A disease or swelling [of cervical lymph notdes]. Edward the Confessor, king of England [reigned 1042-1066] . . . received power from above to cure many diseases, among others the kingsevil, a prerogative that continues. ~ Thomas Blount's Glossographia, 1656

Belief in the supernatural authority of monarchs is but a remnant of the long supposed "divine right" of kings to govern, which resulted from the conviction that they could trace their pedigrees back to the deities. ~ Charles Hardwick's Traditions, Superstitions and Folklore, 1872[/quote]

King's Evil, or Scrofula -- we still hear about that historically. Charles I wouldn't use his touch to cure it because he disliked getting so close to the masses.

Charles II loved doing it.

Divine Right, in Britain at least, was taken up by its monarchs in post-reformation times. It might have existed before but was not a fundamental concept of English kingship. James VI and I was very into the notion and wrote about it but this did not go down well amongst the Calvinist clergy in Scotland. Charles I was a big believer in it. This idea died out in Britain with the coming of William III.

[Rowan]

Gabriel's hounds - These phantom hounds - jet-black and breathing flames . . . frequent bleak and dreary moors on tempestuous nights. ~ Elizabeth Wright's Rustic Speech and Folk-lore, 1914

At Wednesbury . . . the colliers going to their pits early in the morning hear . . . the noise of a "pack of hounds," to which they give the name Gabriel's hounds, though the more sober and judicious take them only to be wild geese making this noise in their flight. ~ White Kennett's Lansdowne Manuscript of Provincial Words, c. 1700

beck - To curtzy by a female, as contradistinguished from bowing in the other sex. From Icelandic beiga, to bow. ~ John Brockett's Glossary of North Country Words, 1825

Of a horse, to nod or jerk the head. ~ Joseph Wright's English Dialect Dictionary, 1898-1905

To make a mute signal, as by nodding, shaking the forefinger, etc. ~ Sir James Murray's New English Dictionary, 1888

tablespread - A tablecloth. ~ Sylva Clapin's Dictionary of Americanisms, 1902

jink - To trick; to give the jink, to elude . . . John Jameison derives the word from the Swedish dwink-a and the German schweinken, to move quickly. ~ Charles Mackay's Dictionary of Lowland Scotch, 1888

[LoveHistory]

Beck as in "beck and call."

To jink meaning to trick. Later to hi-jinks?