FUN WORDS

 

These are real words from the 1927 New Century Dictionary of the English Language.  I try here to make the pronunciations simple, and shorten the definitions.  I haven't checked to see if they're in modern dictionaries, but it doesn't matter.  They're real words, and if we use them, they're modern.

 

abecedarium (A-b-c-DARE-ee-um) n.: An a-b-c book; a primer.

aberglaube (AH-ber-GLAU-bee) n.: Belief beyond what is justified by knowledge; superstition.

ablins (AH-blinz) adv.: Possibly; perhaps.

absquatulate (ab-SKWOT-yoo-late) v.: To run off; decamp.

agelast (AJ-eh-last) n.: One who never laughs.

agrestic (ah-GRES-tik) adj.: Rural; rustic.

allwhere (ALL-ware) adv.: Everywhere.

ambry (AM-bree) n.: A closet, cupboard, or locker.

anserous (AN-ser-us) adj.: Goose-like; stupid; silly.

backfisch (BACK-fish) n.: A young girl; a half-grown school-girl.

bally (BAL-ee) adj.: A word of indefinite meaning used humorously or for emphasis in place of some adjective or more definite (possibly profane) signification.

ballyhoo (bal-ee-HOO) n.: A barker at the door of a show, shop, etc.

balm-cricket (BOM-KRIK-et) n.: The cicada.

bibliomania (BIB-lee-oh-MAIN-ee-uh) n.: A mania for collecting books.

blowy (BLO-ee) adj.: Windy.

bomb-plane (BOM-plain) n.: An airplane for dropping bombs.

brava (BRAH-vuh) n.: A feminine form corresponding to bravo: A daring villain; a murderous bully; a professional assassin.

Brobdingnagian (brob-ding-NAG-ee-an) n.: A giant; a gigantic person.

bugbear (BUG-bair) n.: An imaginary being supposed to devour naughty children; anything arousing terror, esp. groundless terror.

bunkum (BUNG-kum) n.: Speech-making intended merely to please political constituents; insincere talk; claptrap; humbug.

camelry (CAM-el-ree) n.: Soldiers mounted on camels.

cark (cark) n.: A load; also, care, trouble, or worry.

cit (sit) n.: An inhabitant of a city, or a city person.

clanjamfry (clan-JAM-fry) n.: A set of worthless persons.

clapperclaw (KLAP-er-claw) v.: To claw or scratch with the hand and nails; fight with tooth and nail.

cloop (kloop) n.: The sound made when a cork is drawn from a bottle; any similar sound.

cock-a-hoop (kock-a-HOOP) adv. and adj.: In a state of unrestrained joy or exultation.

cummer (KUHM-er) n.: A godmother; a female companion; a woman; a girl or lass; also, a witch.

dehort (de-HORT) v.: To seek to dissuade; also, to counsel against.

dido (DIE-doh) n.: A prank; an antic; a disorderly performance.

dowf (douf) adj.: Dull; flat; spiritless; stupid; melancholy; dismal.

doxy (DOK-see) n.: A mistress or paramour; a prostitute.

dragonet (DRAG-on-et) n.: A little or young dragon. 

dunt (dunt) n.: A hard blow making a dull sound; a wound from such a blow; a beat of the heart.

dup (dup) v.: To raise the latch of; open (a door or gate).

ersatz (er-ZATS) n.: A substitute.

factotum (fak-TOE-tum) n.: A busybody; also, one employed to do all kinds of work for another.

fash (fash) v.: To annoy or be annoyed; trouble.  n.: Trouble; also, a troublesome person or thing.

faugh (fah) interj.: An exclamation of disgust.

fillip (FILL-ip) v.: To strike with the nail of a finger snapped from the end of the thumb.

flat-nosed (FLAT-nozd) adj.: Having a flat nose.

flibbertigibbet (FLIB-er-tee-JIB-et) n.: A chattering or flighty person: commonly applied to a woman.

flittermouse (FLIT-er-mous) n.: A bat.

flump (flump) v.: To plump down suddenly or heavily; flop.

gaberlunzie (gab-er-LUNZ-ee) n.: A beggar; a mendicant. 

gadzooks (GAD-ZOOKS) interj.: An emphatic expletive of indefinite meaning.

goluptious (go-LUP-shuss) adj.: Delicious; delightful. 

goodman (GOOD-man) n.: The master of a household; also, a husband.

goodwife (GOOD-wife) n.: The mistress of a household; also, a title of respect for a woman.

gump (gump) n.: A foolish person; a dolt.

habiliment (ha-BILL-i-ment) n.: Dress; attire; garb; pl., clothes or garments.

hempy (HEM-pee) adj.: Deserving of the hangman's rope; liable to be hanged.

jack-leg (JAK-leg) n.: A lawyer or other professional man who employs questionable or dishonest practices.

landloper (LAND-LO-per) n.: One who wanders about the country; a vagabond.

lenity (LEN-it-ee) n.: The quality or fact of being mild or gentle, as toward others; clemency; mercifulness; lenience. 

lickerish (LICK-er-ish) adj.: Eager for choice food or dainty fare, as a person, the palate, etc.; also, choice, dainty, or tempting, as food or drink.

looby (LOO-bee) n.: An awkward, clownish fellow; a lout.

lovelily (LUV-lil-ee) adv.: In a lovely manner.

metewand (MEET-wahnd) n.: A measuring-stick or yardstick.

mim (mim) adj.: Primly silent, quiet, or restrained; affectedly modest; prim; demure.

mirific (my-RIF-ik) adj.: Causing wonder; wonderful; marvelous.

mordacious (mor-DAY-shus) adj.: Biting; given to biting.

mugwump (MUG-wump) n.: A great man; one who affects superiority, esp. in political principles.

muliebrity (moo-lih-EBB-rit-ee) n.: Womanly nature or qualities; womanhood.

multipara (mull-TIP-ara) n.: A woman who has borne two or more children.

neat-handed (NEET-HAN-ded) adj.: Neat or dexterous in the use of the hands; deft.

nidnod (NID-nod) v.: To nod repeatedly; keep nodding.

ophidism (OFF-id-izm) n.: Poisoning by snake venom.

orexis (oh-REK-sis) n.: Appetite; desire.

otherwhere (UH-ther-wair) adv.: Elsewhere.

pah (pah) interj.: An exclamation of disgust.

phiz (fiz) n.: The face; the countenance.

polyhistor (polly-HIS-tor) n.: A person of great or varied learning.

pome (poam) n.: An apple.

pompom (POM-pom) n.: A colloquial name for a machine-gun of large caliber. 

princock (PRIN-cock) n.: A pert or conceited young fellow.

prog (prog) v.: To search or prowl about, as for plunder or food; forage; also, to go about begging. 

reechy (REE-chee) adj.: Smoky; dirty; also, rancid.

seaware (SEE-wair) n.: Seaweed.

seawolf (SEE-wulf) n.: A pirate; also, a privateering vessel.

shoon (shoon) n.: Plural of shoe.

spondulix (spon-DOO-lix) n.: Money; cash; funds.

Spoonerism (SPOON-er-izm) n.: A slip of the tongue whereby initial or other sounds of words in a phrase are accidentally transposed, as in 'our queer old dean' for 'our dear old queen.'

sumph (sumf) n.: A stupid person; a blockhead; a simpleton; also, a surly person.

temulent (TEM-yoo-lent) adj.: Drunken; intoxicated; proceeding from drink.

teratogenesis (TER-ah-to-JEN-eh-sis) n.: In biol., the production or formation of monsters.

teratoid (TER-a-toid) adj.: In biol., resembling a monster.

thaumaturge (THAUM-a-turj) n.: A worker of wonders or miracles; a wonder-worker.

threap (threep) v.: To reproach or scold.

tilly-vally (TIL-ee-VAL-ee) interj.: Nonsense! bosh!

trappy (TRAP-ee) adj.: Of the nature of a trap; treacherous; tricky.

woodenhead (WOOD-en-hed) n.: A blockhead; a dull or stupid person.

yapp (yap) adj.: Designating or pertaining to a style of bookbinding in limp leather or the like with projecting flaps overlapping the edges of the pages: used esp. on Bibles.

yegg (yeg) n.: A criminal, esp. of the roving or tramp class, who makes a practice of breaking into and robbing safes.