We are always open to increasing our vocabulary. Reading about new words and definitions is easy; using some of these words is a challenge. How many can you integrate into natural conversation? Go ahead; try it and let us know the results.
Gowpen
We love this word for its imagery. A gowpen is the hollow of two hands held together, as if forming a bowl. This is an action that we do, whether to scoop up water to drink, or to hold something tiny and delicate. We are beginning with this word to give you a head start; you can easily use this one. And, BTW, a “gowpenful” means a double handful. Your choice which to use.
Phosphene
You know how when you rub your closed eyes firmly and you “see” all kinds of things? You are stimulating your retina. Here is the Merriam-Webster definition:
“Phosphenes are the luminous floating stars, zigzags, swirls, spirals, squiggles, and other shapes that you see when closing your eyes tight and pressing them with your fingers. Basically, these phenomena occur when the cells of the retina are stimulated by rubbing or after a forceful sneeze, cough, or blow to the head.”
We know you are doing this right now.
Psithurism
“What is that rustling I hear from the woods?” We all know what this means. Trees and leaves make rustling sounds. Now you can use the word “psithursm” instead of rustling.
We found this pronunciation explanation: “A P, an S, a short I (as in pit), an unvoiced TH (as in thin), a UR (as in curious), and an ism as in communism.” This did not help us.
This did: sith-err-iz-um.
Eccedentesiast
at first we thought it had something to do with a dentist. Well, kind of…. this word is used to describe someone who fakes a smile. We admit we have done this, but we think most people do when they are asked to “smile for the camera!”
Nibling
Nibling is a gender-neutral term for nieces and nephews. While you might think this word is new to address the cultural desire to address gender-neutral identities, it popped up in 1951. Samuel Martin, a professor and linguist at Yale University, first coined the word.
Cancatervate
Another action we are guilty of. The definition of cancatervate is “heaping things into a pile.” We have been told that cancatervating is not the same as tidying up. We are not sure we agree.
Griffonage
Griffonage is “careless or illegible handwriting.” We love typing. We do not like handwriting. We think the addition of the word “careless” is accurate; if you are like us, the illegibility stems mostly from the fact that we get impatient when handwriting, therefore careless and the result is messy.
This is another word that should be easy to use. On the other hand, will it be easy to find any handwriting at all?
Pentapopemptic
This word refers to a person who has been divorced five times. I suppose every now and then you might run into a situation where it would come in handy, but certainly not often.
Krukolibidinous
This one cracked us up. We love coming across words that are specific, and this one is. It refers to the act of looking at someone’s crotch. Go ahead; try this one on for size.
“Tight jeans are all the rage. Truly a boon to my krukolibidinous nature.”
Archmime
This entry is for a good friend of mine who hates mimes. I imagine she would not be fond of archmimes, either. These are jesters who imitate the manners, gestures, and speech of the living and the deceased. At funerals, you would find an archmime acting out the mannerism of the dead in a funeral procession. If I am around, I make a pledge to my friend (you know who you are) that no archmimes will be present at your funeral.
Lant
According to Collinsdictionary.com, lant is “stale urine, formerly collected for its ammonium content, used espially in household cleaning and manufacturing processes.” All we can say is, thank goodness for modern household cleaning products.
We found one reference that said as a verb, “to lant is to mix urine into beer to make it taste stronger.” We could not verify this, and frankly, found no reason to.
Feague
We know many of these words are archaic, but as we said before, we do love a word that has a very specific meaning. Feague is a verb. It is the action of inserting ginger into a horse’s rear end. The idea is that the ginger will irritate and compel the horse to carry its tail high, and/or lead to more spiritedness in general. A lively horse would bring more money at market. If this sounds unsavory, then you will not like the second option, which was to insert a live eel instead.
Batrachomyomachy
This simply means a petty quarrel. Sounds simple enough, right? Then we learn that the word derives from an ancient Greek parody of Homer’s Iliad, in which a frog accidentally drowned a mouse that was sitting on its back, sparking a brutal war between the two species. So, if you need a word to describe a war between frogs and mice, now you’ve got it.
Quomodocunquize
Quomodocunque is the Latin word for “in whatever way possible.” To quomodocunquize is to make money or earn a living by any way possible. BTW, here it is phonetically: kwa-muh-doe-kum-kize.
Awesomesauce
We end with “awesomesauce.” We know what it means; we just cannot believe it is a word (for those you don’t know, it means extremely good or excellent). It was added to the online Oxford Dictionary in 2015. “Hangry” made the list that year, too, as did “rando”. How do you feel about these words, and why? While awesomesauce bugs us, we like hangry because it perfectly sums up a very common experience. We can relate.
The Most Misused English Words Americans Use On A Daily Basis
We communicate in speech and writing all day, every day, but how well are we communicating? At its very core, if we use words correctly, we have a better shot at getting our point across. But we consistently use the wrong words.
Which of these words are you guilty of mixing up or getting wrong altogether? Read The Most Misused English Words Americans Use On A Daily Basis
18 of the World’s Deadliest Foods: How Many Are You Eating?
Whether you eat to live, or live to eat, let’s make sure you live to see another day! These are some of the world’s deadliest foods. They can bring on extreme symptoms, ranging from paralysis to seizures, choking and even death, so don’t go tucking these into your lunchbox. Click for 18 of the World’s Deadliest Foods: How Many Are You Eating?
10 Of The Worst Tasting Drinks People Pretend To Like
Hold onto your taste buds, because we’re about to embark on a flavor-filled adventure through the realm of beverages! Sure, we all need water to survive, but let’s be real – drinks are so much more than just basic hydration. Recently, the question of which beverages people secretly think taste awful sparked a fiery debate. Boozy elixirs, non-alcoholic refreshments, and everything in between were thrown into the mix. Brace yourself as we unveil the truth behind the drinks we pretend to love. Get ready for a wild ride of taste revelations! Read 10 Of The Worst Tasting Drinks People Pretend To Like
14 Of The Craziest Hacks People Use Mayonnaise For – Even In The Bedroom!
After you click through this slide show you will never look at a jar of mayo the same way again. Trust us. Click for 14 Of The Craziest Hacks People Use Mayonnaise For – Even In The Bedroom!
Take Back Control: How to Identify and Tackle Medical Gaslighting
What is medical gaslighting? Medical gaslighting refers to a situation in which healthcare providers dismiss or diminish the symptoms that an individual is experiencing, attempting to persuade them that the symptoms are attributed to an alternative cause or are mere figments of their imagination. Medical gaslighting can leave you questioning your own experience. And at worse can lead to undiagnosed serious illness.
Learn the signs and the ways in which you can take back control if this happens to you. Read: Take Back Control: How to Identify and Tackle Medical Gaslighting
Don’t Fall For These 17 Foods That Pretend To Be Healthy
Have you heard the term “Dr. Google”? That’s when you turn to search engines and the Internet to provide health and medical information – and unless you know how to vet sources, it is a mine field of faulty information. Here are 17 foods that you might have heard are “healthy”, but we have the whole story. PS: the moment a food becomes a trend, research carefully. We’re looking at you bulletproof coffee!
Click for Don’t Fall For These 17 Foods That Pretend To Be Healthy
17 Of The Most Expensive Foods In The World: Would You Pay This Much To Eat Any Of These?
These days our food budget is not going very far, even for everyday foods. And yet, there are still those who seek out extravagant foods, regardless of price. I guess we can live vicariously through these pictures. Maybe someday someone will bestow a 4-pound white truffle upon us, but until then, this will have to suffice.
Click for 17 Of The Most Expensive Foods In The World: Would You Pay This Much To Eat Any Of These?
19 Of The World’s Most Overrated Foods
We have foods we love, and those we won’t touch. We all have our own likes and dislikes, but what are the most overrated foods? That was the question posed on this Reddit thread by Even_Cause_3478. There were a lot of opinions. Some made sense to us, and some were things we had never thought of before!
What is the most overrated food in your opinion?
Click for 19 Of The World’s Most Overrated Foods
