Words We Don't Use

Rowan · Post by **Rowan** » Wed February 8th, 2012, 5:26 pm

teethache - Toothache; said when more than one tooth gives trouble; same error as exemplified in the British "parcels post" [but unlike the proper "attorneys-general"]; so called because more than one parcel is carried. ~ Gilbert Tucker's American English, 1921

Rowan · Post by **Rowan** » Thu February 9th, 2012, 5:34 pm

applaudity - Clapping of hands for joy. ~ Henry Cockeram's Interpreter of Hard English Words, 1623

LoveHistory · Post by **LoveHistory** » Fri February 10th, 2012, 3:08 am

I've heard teethache, though I can't remember where.

Applaudity is my kind of word!

Rowan · Post by **Rowan** » Mon February 13th, 2012, 4:15 pm

quanked - Overpowered by fatigue. From Anglo-Saxon cwanian, to be weary or faint, and cwencan, to quench. ~ John Akerman's Provincial Words and Phrases in Wiltshire, 1842

Quank, to overcome, subdue; hence quanker, settler. ~ Joseph Wright's English Dialect Dictionary, 1896-1905

upsee-Dutch - An old phrase signifying the Dutch manner or style, as "to drink upsee-Dutch," to drink in the Dutch manner, that is to drink deeply. From Dutch op-zyn-Deutsch, in the Dutch fashion.

chime-child - Certain qualities, among them immunity from witchcraft and the power to perceive spirits, were ascribed to children born on Sunday, and a "chime-child" could see ghosts and was a natural healer. What constituted a chime-child was understood differently in different parts of the country. In East Anglia, a chime-child was one born in the "chime hours," at 8, 10 or 12, but in Somerset, a chime-child was born between 12 and 1 on a Friday. ~ Katharin Brigg's Folklore of the Cotswolds, 1974

Madeleine · Post by **Madeleine** » Mon February 13th, 2012, 4:36 pm

My insomnia's back and I definitely feel quanked - fabulous word.

Rowan · Post by **Rowan** » Tue February 14th, 2012, 2:43 pm

blushet - A young modest girl. ~ John Boag's Imperial Lexicon of the English Language, c. 1850

Rowan · Post by **Rowan** » Wed February 15th, 2012, 3:46 pm

acyrology - Improper speech, or a speaking improperly. ~ Thomas Blount's Glossographia, 1656

Also, today is the birthday of John Witherspoon - Scottish-born Presbyterian theologian, wordsmith, president of Princeton and a New Jersey signatory of the Declaration of Independence.

Rowan · Post by **Rowan** » Thu February 16th, 2012, 4:22 pm

equidifferent - Having equal differences. ~ John Ridpath's Home Reference Library, 1898

Arithmetically proportional. ~ Sir James Murray's New English Dictionary, 1897

LoveHistory · Post by **LoveHistory** » Fri February 17th, 2012, 3:31 am

That is an awesome word. Men and women are equidifferent.

Rowan · Post by **Rowan** » Mon February 20th, 2012, 2:02 pm

satyriasis - An irresistible desire in man to have frequent connexion with females, accompanied by the power of doing so without exhaustion . . . The principal symptoms are: almost constant erection, irresistible and almost insatiable desire for venery, frequent nocturnal pollutions. Cold lotions, the cold bath, a mild diet, active exercise, &c. are the only means that can be adopted for its removal. [This medical term is still heard in Britain.] ~ Robley Dunglison's Dictionary of Medical Science, 1844

get the goose - To get the goose signifies to be hissed at while on the stage. The "big bird," the terror of actors, is simply a metaphor for goose in theatrical slang. ~ John Hotten's Slang Dictionary, 1887

minnock - To affected delicacy; to ape the manners of one's superiors. ~ Joseph Wright's English Dialect Dictionary, 1896-1905