New Words for Wordsmiths

Strange and Funny Words from Webster's

I love words, all kinds of words. Words have always fascinated me. Writers are often called “Wordsmiths”, because they skillfully work with words.

I thought it might be fun and interesting to shake down Webster’s for some strange and funny words. The sheer number of them surprised me. Some I had heard of, but since they aren’t commonly used, they’ve been included in this list.

How many have you heard before? As a Wordsmith, how many will you use in your writing from now on?

Strange and Funny Dictionary Words:

•  Flibbertigibbet means a silly, flighty person; someone who would engage in meaningless chatter or gossip.

• Gobbledygook  means a wordy and generally unintelligible jargon. (1944)

• Gobemouche means you're a person who believes anything they hear. 

• Lickety-split, first used 1859 means moving at great speed or very fast.

• Skedaddle means to run away or scram (1859). first used by Union troops in the Civil War to describe Confederate soldiers who retreated.

• Hootenanny used decades ago as slang to describe a gathering of folk singers, with regular folk joining in for a jam session. 

• Widdershins is another way to say counterclockwise

• Blitzed to call someone drunk or describe someone heavily under the influence.

• Glitterati describes people who are rich and glamorous, the world of Hollywood.

• Bumfuzzled is slang to describe a state of confusion or bewilderment.

• Gardyloo  a warning cry for when people used to throw slop from their windows onto the streets.

• Taradiddle  describes pretentious nonsense, like a fib.

• Brewski is just American slang  for beer.

• Heebie-jeebies means someone is giving you the jitters or creeping you out. 

• Collywobbles is another way to say a bellyache.

• Bumbershoot is American slang for an umbrella (1890s).

• Lollygag to goof off and be lazy.

• Snollygoster is someone who is shrewd, or unprincipled.

• Brouhaha is a noisy confusion of sound.

• Sesquipedalian  is exactly what it describes, a long word describing long words. 

• Argle-bargle describes a lively argument.

• Billingsgate refers to abusive and coarse language.

• Kerfuffle means a disturbance or commotion.

• Namby-pamby  describes something or someone as weak or indecisive.

• Skulduggery is behaving in an underhanded or unscrupulous way.

• Crepehanger is one who always sees things in a negative light.

• Smellfungus is  someone who often finds faults in something.

• Absquatulate means to depart suddenly or abscond.

• Malarkey means talking in an insincere or foolish manner. 

• Ill-willie means someone with an unfriendly disposition.

• Higgledy-piggledy means something confused, disordered, or random.

• Fuddy-duddy means someone old-fashioned, unimaginative, or conservative.

• Nincompoop  means a stupid or silly person.

This was fun, but I believe I’ll Absquatulate now. I have things to do and I’m not one to Lollygag ...