Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Thingamajigger

thing-a-ma-jig-ger (thngmjgr)

noun/slang
1. Any thing, object, piece, part, idea that you cannot remember the name of.
Hoe het it? The thingamajiggers all in a row? Do you mean DNA? Ya!

Synonyms: doohickey, dohingy, thingamabobber, thingamadoo, thingamajig, whatchamacallit.

* This one was inspired by my grandma, who for her frequent lack of a word, often reminds me of the best words I know.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Chimerical

chim-er-ic-al (k-mr-kl, -mîr-, k-)

adjective
1. Unbelievably fancy, like so fabulous that you have to be dreaming!
The dresser crab has a chimerical sense of fashion.

Synonyms: awesome, fabulous, fanciful, imaginary, unreal, utopian, visionary, wild.

* Chimerical is one of those words that really shows the evolution of our language. Its root lies with the chimera, a mythical she-beast from Greek mythology. It went on to mean fanciful, as in out of one's imagination, until it became a synonym for absolutely fabulous.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Monomania

mo-no-ma-ni-a (mn-mn-, -mny)

noun
1. Unusual or even pathological obsession with a single thing, usually a subject or an idea.
Novelists must suffer from some degree of monomania in order to think about an idea long enough to write 350 pages about it.


Synonyms: dedication, devotion, enthusiasm, extremism, fever, furor, immoderation, infatuation, madness, obsession, obstinacy, one-track mind, preoccupation, zeal.

* The passage quoted in this definition is from Monomania: the flight from everyday life in literature and art by Marina Van Zuylen.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Oferdrencan

of-er-dren-can* (I imagine this sounds something like over-drinking.)**

verb (Old English)
1. To drink excessively with the intention of getting drunk.
Yesterday was a write-off because I was oferdrencan again and got totally befuddled the night before.

Synonyms: gedrincan,*** getting drunk, intemperance, over drinking,

* I found this word in the Old English Thesaurus, which is a kind of online database of neat old words. You can also skim through a print edition on Google Books.
** Any help you can offer with the pronunciation of Old English words would be greatly appreciated.
*** Also a fun Old English word, but not as fun as oferdrencan.
Warning: Over drinking can lead to the following situations: "Das Alles wär nie passiert."

Friday, March 25, 2011

Bugbear

bug-bear (bgbâr)

noun
1. A terrifyingly wicked imaginary creature that was invented for the primary purpose of frightening small children.*
Eat your peas or the bugbear will get you!
Synonyms: bogey, boogeman, bugaboo, dread, hobgoblin, loup-garou, wraith.

* Not to be confused with Butterbear the Wuzzle that was invented by Disney for the primary purpose of making kids in the 80s very happy!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Herþbelig


herþbelig (I have no idea how to say this.)*

noun (Old English)**
1. Scrotum.
His vibrato sounded like he was driving a tractor over a ploughed field with weights tied to his herþbelig!

Synonyms: a word to amuse people with at parties, scrotum.

* I imagine it is said something like: "Herp-be-lig," but greatly look forward to your suggestions!
** You can find this and many other wonderful words in the Old English Thesaurus.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Pirate

pi-rate* (prt)

noun
1. A scurvy rascal that steals things, while travelling the high seas.**
English dictionaries try to amend the definition of pirate, by insisting that these are people who do this without approval from their government, because they don't want certain English heroes, like Captain Drake, to be classified as pirates, even though he did much marauding and pillaging.
2. Someone operates television or radio stations without license.
Being a TV or radio pirate was cool in the eighties and early nineties, but now we just make podcasts instead.
3. Someone who steals music and videos, usually through the internet.
Pay for the new R.E.M. CD? You have to be kidding me! I am a total internet pirate!

Synonyms: buccaneer, everyone I know, filibuster, freebooter, marauder, privateer.

verb
1. The action of performing any of the above activities.
Let's operate a pirate*** radio station, while marauding about the seven seas and pirating all of the music for our radio station online, using other people's wifi!

Synonyms: downloading music for free online, marauding.

* This definition was inspired by an article from the Tyee. I also totally pirated a picture from them!
** Amigurumi can be pirates too!


*** Notice this word can also be used as an adjective: pirate radio, pirate ship, pirate hat, etc...

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Sashay

sa-shay (s-sh)

verb
1. To walk, strut or flounce, in a fancy - yet casual manner.
2. To walk sideways.
3. To dance the chassé.
Ever since he took his first dance class, McGoo unabashedly sashays about the place, like he thinks he is the cat's meow.

Synonyms: caper, cavort, chassé, dance, flounce, parade, spring, step, strut, swagger.

noun
1. A chassé.
2. A fancy-pants move in square dancing.
Sashay from first position to second position and then come back to first position.

Synonyms: fancy feet.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Trichophilia

trichophilia (trk-fl-)

noun
1. An uncommon or excessive love of hair, often to the point of sexual arousal.
After getting a lot of attention for his beard, Zac began his slow descent into narcissistic trichophilia. He loved his own beard too much.

Synonyms: bat-shit craziness.