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Seeing as we have the grumbling thread about words, why not the converse?

I'll kick off:
Mither
Pather
Great words, very underutilised.

Hmm, I have a suspicion many of these will be very regional.

Jobby. Terrific word.

That word Americans use to mean Bum, when in its mother country it means something else.

Bum is also a great word. Can be used for polite expression of disappointment. Example?

“What’s that, Vicar? The church roof collapsed and all my immediate and extended family are dead as a result? Bum.

Most of my others are proper swears.

Oooh jobby is a good one.

... jobby.

It’s one of those uncouth words which is so childish (literally a child’s first usable rude word), it can be used quite liberally.

And even dismissively. For instance, if you’re stuck in a long, boring conversation, declaring “that’s all very well, but I’m off for a jobby” is an excellent way to bring it to a close, whilst also being a bit cheeky. Suggesting that they’ve outstayed their welcome, and worn your patience just thin enough you’re not going to be polite, but not so much you’re going to be rude.

The Scots have given us many great words (and phrases) over the years, but Haver would have to be my favourite though. Meaning to babble or talk incessantly or without purpose.

Other enjoyable words of note,
- Stocious (to be blackout drunk)
- Vexatious (to be or act deliberately confusing/annoying/etc.)
- Mendacious (lying or being untruthful)
- Pusillanimous (to be lacking in courage) (also supposedly where calling someone a pussy came from and anything to do with the female anatomy.)

Lycanthropic. I love it. Not usually terribly usable, other than in “what is your favourite word” conversations

Misanthrope.

But that may just be me.

Plethora.

Rambunctious is another good one.

Also going to shout out “Raffles, The Gentleman Thug” for excellent use of Victorian era terminology applied to modern day thuggery/slang.

For instance, why call someone a “big girl’s blouse” when you could call them a “sizable lady’s chemise”. Or “is your colloquy destinated at me”

Many other examples, all of which are a bit too rude for Dakka.

 Flinty wrote:
Lycanthropic. I love it. Not usually terribly usable, other than in “what is your favourite word” conversations

And occasionally D&D conversations.

Some random words I like to use.....

Miffed
Murgled
Irked
Vexxed

I love calling everyone Ace as a general replacement for Bro, Dude, etc.

Regionally, we also refer to any groups of people as "You guys" that I have been trying to update my own language usage to "you folks". It is a harder change than I expected.

Discombobulated.

Mostly because it is a real word. And it’s seemingly not possible to be Combobulated.

Spifflicate is another terrific one, meaning to smash into pieces. Also spifflicated, spifflication. First introduced to me via Bash Street Kids in The Beano, when Teacher lost it.

Defenestration: the act of throwing someone through a window.

Oh words that are useful like expedient and precipitous, or parsimony, possibly adroit if you want to compliment someone and be genuine about it

If you remember 2022 it became popular to say something is mid, to mean that it fails to impress. I think in 2014 I knew people who would describe things as mezzanine, mezzanine intelligence or mezzanine skill, which is just an in-group way of saying middle-brow.

and lighght, definitely, although at this point its pretty mezzanine

Cellar door is a classic and you can say that's two words, but it's a term and terms can count, like turd wagon. You have to be careful around poop words because like Easy E says it's nice to avoid gendered language, but I really like the sounds in the phrase "getting their sh** pushed in" but obviously that refers

rambunctious

Rumbustious

 Manfred von Drakken wrote:
Defenestration: the act of throwing someone through a window.

I’ve been defenestrated. It’s not much fun.

Bespoke. There are a lot of ways to convey the same ides, but it wraps itself a certain hand crafted artisen’s work charm.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:

 Manfred von Drakken wrote:
Defenestration: the act of throwing someone through a window.

I’ve been defenestrated. It’s not much fun.

I'm glad the word exists though. How else are we supposed to describe the history of Prague?

 Nevelon wrote:
Bespoke. There are a lot of ways to convey the same ides, but it wraps itself a certain hand crafted artisen’s work charm.

I feel Bespoke carries more weight than Artisanal. Mostly because Artisanal has been co-opted by Hipsters, who all too often seem to feel that just because something is hand made, it’s good.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:

 Nevelon wrote:
Bespoke. There are a lot of ways to convey the same ides, but it wraps itself a certain hand crafted artisen’s work charm.

I feel Bespoke carries more weight than Artisanal. Mostly because Artisanal has been co-opted by Hipsters, who all too often seem to feel that just because something is hand made, it’s good.

Artisanal is made by an artist. So it’s not just a soulless product churned out to meet a need. In theory there is love and art involved in it’s craft. But you are 100% correct, it’s been overused and diluted.

Bespoke is not just that, but also implies the product was custom made with that same artistry, but tailored to the needs of the consumer. Probably by a be-speckled master in a leather apron stuffed with tools smelling like finishing oils and woodsmoke.

I thought artisanal was made by an artisan.

 Haighus wrote:
I thought artisanal was made by an artisan.

What is the difference between an artist and an artisan?

I guess artisan is more generally a tradesman, less art for art’s sake.

Eitherway artisanal is now uses to help differentiate between hip stuff and mass market products.

 Nevelon wrote:

 Haighus wrote:
I thought artisanal was made by an artisan.

What is the difference between an artist and an artisan?

I guess artisan is more generally a tradesman, less art for art’s sake.

Eitherway artisanal is now uses to help differentiate between hip stuff and mass market products.

Yeah, I feel artisan straddles the ground between artist and craftsperson.

A personal favourite of mine is meliphagous.

Been watching the Spartacus TV series.

Whilst not at all historically accurate, I agree with a friend it’s exactly the sort of TV Rome would’ve made if they’d had the tech.

And a fantastic swear? Moderated for Dakka?

Jupiter’s male chicken

Seems to be an all purpose sweary. And I don’t care if it’s properly historical. Because like excrement it can be used to express disappointment, surprise (joyous or not) and so on.

Love a multipurpose swear me.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Another word I can’t and won’t type on Dakka, because it’s yet another swear?

A four letter word which can describe excrement, something bad, surprise and so on? But with a ‘e’ on the end.

It just feels more definitive.

Nettled.

I'd never heard this word before DBZA used it in a gag line (or two) but it was hilarious.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:

 Manfred von Drakken wrote:
Defenestration: the act of throwing someone through a window.

I’ve been defenestrated. It’s not much fun.

I defenestrated myself. Through the glass. Double-pane window. Too much rum and cheap beer.

 LordofHats wrote:
Nettled.

I'd never heard this word before DBZA used it in a gag line (or two) but it was hilarious.

Nettled is a good word. Might be more of a British word? Do you have stinging nettles over there?

I've definitely heard of stingling nettles the plant cause I lived in the UK as a kid for a few years.

But I'd never heard the word used as another word for 'annoyed' or 'angry.'

 LordofHats wrote:
I've definitely heard of stingling nettles the plant cause I lived in the UK as a kid for a few years.

But I'd never heard the word used as another word for 'annoyed' or 'angry.'

Well, its reasonable if you've mostly lived somewhere without nettles. I've found that sometimes even UK townies have a limited exposure to them. Knew a kid who moved out of London to our rural village and went running to his parents when he got stung, the parents came back with a pair of scissors... my parents were a bit baffled and showed them the patch which would probably have been half an hour's work with a strimmer to clear, let alone scissors!

It tends to mean quite mildly annoyed. Which makes sense, because nettles are a pretty mild sting. But you kind of need the nettle context for the expression.

As it happens, this discussion is the first time I've twigged that nettles aren't native to North America, although apparently they are a common invasive species in the more moist regions like the Pacific North West.

Used to spend a lot of time whacking down nettle patches with a stick as a kid. Great fun.

Less a single word, but a phrase, but I do need to set the scene:

Fancy british person sat down preparing to eat someone else's cooking. They're prepared to give meager complements because socially they are expected to. This person feels jaded by food: they've had all of the best of it.

Food gets placed down, fancy brit grabs a bite, and a couple seconds later:

"Ohh I say!"

Like, there's something about the way that phrase comes out that just shouts out to me that this person had generally been blown away by whatever it was. I feel like it just comes across as this sort of ultimate complement without using actual complementary words toward another person.