18 obsolete words, which never should have gone out of style (potentially a little NSFW)

Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:

No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
Times and dates in your local timezone.
Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.

If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

**Dreadclaw69**

Some of the words have different meanings to what may be imagined today, read on at your own discretion

http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/195348/18-obsolete-words-which-should-have-never-gone-out-of-style/

Just like facts and flies, English words have life-spans. Some are thousands of years old, from before English officially existed, others change, or are replaced or get ditched entirely.
Here are 18 uncommon or obsolete words that we think may have died early. We found them in two places: a book called “The Word Museum: The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten” by Jeffrey Kacirk, and on a blog called Obsolete Word of The Day that’s been out of service since 2010. Both are fantastic— you should check them out.

Snoutfair: A person with a handsome countenance — “The Word Museum: The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten” by Jeffrey Kacirk

Pussyvan: A flurry, temper — “The Word Museum: The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten” by Jeffrey Kacirk

Wonder-wench: A sweetheart — “The Word Museum: The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten” by Jeffrey Kacirk

Lunting: Walking while smoking a pipe — John Mactaggart’s “Scottish Gallovidian Encyclopedia,” 1824

California widow: A married woman whose husband is away from her for any extended period — John Farmer’s “Americanisms Old and New”, 1889

Groak: To silently watch someone while they are eating, hoping to be invited to join them – www.ObsoleteWord.Blogspot.com

Jirble: To pour out (a liquid) with an unsteady hand: as, he jirbles out a dram — www.Wordnik.com

Curglaff: The shock felt in bathing when one first plunges into the cold water — John Jamieson’s Etymological Scottish Dictionary, 1808

Spermologer: A picker-up of trivia, of current news, a gossip monger, what we would today call a columnist — “The Word Museum: The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten” by Jeffrey
Kacirk

Tyromancy: Divining by the coagulation of cheese — “The Word Museum: The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten” by Jeffrey Kacirk

Beef-witted: Having an inactive brain, thought to be from eating too much beef. — John Phin’s “Shakespeare Cyclopaedia and Glossary”, 1902

Queerplungers: Cheats who throw themselves into the water in order that they may be taken up by their accomplices, who carry them to one of the houses appointed by the Humane Society for the recovery of drowned persons, where they are rewarded by the society with a guinea each, and the supposed drowned person, pretending he was driven to that extremity by great necessity, is also frequently sent away with a contribution in his pocket. — “The Word Museum: The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten” by Jeffrey Kacirk

Englishable: That which may be rendered into English — John Ogilvie’s “Comprehensive English Dictionary”, 1865

Resistentialism: The seemingly spiteful behavior shown by inanimate objects — www.ObsoleteWord.Blogspot.com

Bookwright: A writer of books; an author; a term of slight contempt — Daniel Lyons’s “Dictionary of the English Language”, 1897

Soda-squirt: One who works at a soda fountain in New Mexico — Elsie Warnock’s “Dialect Speech in California and New Mexico”, 1919

With squirrel: Pregnant — Vance Randolph’s “Down in the Holler: A Gallery of Ozark Folk Speech”, 1953

Zafty: A person very easily imposed upon — Maj. B. Lowsley’s “A Glossary of Berkshire Words and Phrases”, 1888

**Chancetragedy**

Resistentialism - is awesome if I can figure out how it's phonetically spoken haha. Because the corner of my bedframe is very spiteful towards my toes for some reason. And cabinet door corners too!

**Kilkrazy**

Interestingly, "resistentialism" has been replaced by the modern acronym IPIO = Innate Perversity of Inanimate Objects.

**Dreadclaw69**

I didn't know that, thank you. I might start using some of these old words, just with updated meanings

**Ensis Ferrae**

Dreadclaw69 wrote:
I didn't know that, thank you. I might start using some of these old words, just with updated meanings

yeah... I think that even if you used the word pussyvan in it's correct way, people would still think you're talking about the "Shaggin' Wagon" or that car from Kill Bill.

Oddly, I have heard the term bookwright used... however, it was in similar vein to how the word shipwright would be: a person who assembles or builds them. Basically, the publisher/printers would be the bookwright.

**sebster**

'With Squirrel' is my new favourite thing.

**Snrub**

I'm going to take up Lunting while I study Tyromancy.

**rubiksnoob**

I really lose control of my pussyvan sometimes. It's not pretty.

**Dreadclaw69**

rubiksnoob wrote:
I really lose control of my pussyvan sometimes. It's not pretty.

I wonder could you ask someone to control his/her pussyvan in work?

**TheDraconicLord**

Oh man, Tyromancy?! I nearly burst laughing when I read that one.

**Alfndrate**

So my zafty Calofornia widow was with squirrel in Ohio, so I had to quit my dream of being a bookwright who told tales of a beef-witted Tyromancer with resistentialism. This man, whom spent his days as a Soda-squirt, set to resolve a rash of queerplungers taking money from the honest Mexican city council whom was beset with spermologers whom tried with pussyvan to make their council accords Englishable.

AMIDOINITRITE?

**TheDraconicLord**

Alfndrate wrote:
So my zafty Calofornia widow was with squirrel in Ohio, so I had to quit my dream of being a bookwright who told tales of a beef-witted Tyromancer with resistentialism. This man, whom spent his days as a Soda-squirt, set to resolve a rash of queerplungers taking money from the honest Mexican city council whom was beset with spermologers whom tried with pussyvan to make their council accords Englishable.

AMIDOINITRITE?

Nope, you forgot one the best ones: Lunting.

**Alfndrate**

Well, I was lunting outside of my work office while typing that on my phone

**Deadshot**

Spermology? Queerplunger? You get shot around here for that gak!

**Ratbarf**

Bookwright is still used relatively commonly in Canada. At least, I hear it on the CBC at least several times a year.

**daedalus**

Snrub wrote:
I'm going to take up Lunting while I study Tyromancy.

I can't speak for Tyromancy, but I do enjoy Lunting in the fall around the neighborhood. The incredulous looks one gets whilst doing so are almost worth it alone.

**LordofHats**

Resistentialism is epic. I move that Dakka resurrect this word. Word Necromancy if you will.

**grayshadow87**

Mother-fething Nyss hunters and their resistentialism... WHY ARE YOUR ARMS IN SO MANY PIECES?!? WHY?!?

**Dreadclaw69**

LordofHats wrote:
Resistentialism is epic. I move that Dakka resurrect this word. Word Necromancy if you will.

Finecast was begging to be a test bed for its resurrection

**LordofHats**

I must say I find the entire line of GW products rather Resistential

**Ouze**

Every time I read this thread I feel a little better. Some of these words are just... incredible. My favorite:

Groak: To silently watch someone while they are eating, hoping to be invited to join them

Man, it doesn't get any more cromulent than that.

**Dreadclaw69**

LordofHats wrote:
I must say I find the entire line of GW products rather Resistential

Especially the metal Thunderfire cannon....

**rubiksnoob**

When in a poor mood, I do find that a good lunt does wonders for my pussyvan.

**Leigen_Zero**

I have now decided that I've had enough of software development, and I shall dedicate my life to the study of Tyromancy!

Currently looking on ebay for velvet robes & and industrial-sized drum of rennit...