muculency

This is an obsolete word for snottiness.

scelestious

This is a rare word meaning wicked.

That Maverick roller coaster sure was scelestious!

oultrepreu

An obsolete word for very brave. It comes from the French meaning beyond brave.

You need to be oultrepreu to ride some of those roller coasters at Cedar Point. Wow.

swabble

This is a rare word meaning to make a noise like sloshing water.

It apparently has entered new urban slang with varying meanings, which I will not go into here.

musophobist

This is a person who regards poetry with suspicious dislike.

Huh.

spanwhengle

An obsolete word meaning to violently shake or knock around.

Sardanapalian

Luxurious effeminate.

It comes from the name of the last king of Nineveh, Sardanapalus. The story goes that he lived in over-the-top luxury.

fittyland

No, it is not the mansion where rapper 50 Cent lives.

It is a plow horse. Specifically, of a pair attached to the plow, it is the near one that walks in the unplowed part while the other walks in the furrow.

hurry up

The origin of this phrase comes from the restaurant trade. Most restaurants had the kitchen down in the basement and the dining room on the main floor. The job of the headwaiter was to keep the food moving quickly from the kitchen to the diners. The headwaiter would yell down to the kitchen, "Hurry up!"

epirot

This is a person who lives inland rather than on the coast. It comes from the Greek word for mainland.

ilspile

One of many words for the humble hedgehog. Cirogrille, used by medieval writers; echinus, the Latin; furze-pig; hotchi withcu, in Gypsy; hurcheon; irchepil; irchon; tiggy.

quadrumanous

An adjective meaning destructive like an ape. From a Latin word that means four handed like an ape.

repurple

You'll never guess what this obsolete word means. To make something purple again!

No kidding? Please excuse me while I reicetea my mug.

point blank

A word origin today, I think. As we all know, point blank means direct, straightforward, blunt; so close to a target that missing would be impossible.

Point blank comes from the French point-blanc, white spot. In the game of archery, the center of the target was marked by a white spot, the point-blanc. A shot to the point-blanc was one that was straight and true and executed with great skill.

sciapodous

Having large feet. This word is apparently related to the Greek legend, as related by Pliny the Elder, of the Sciapodes, dwarf-like creatures with one large foot.

disquixotted

Disillusioned.

baisemain

An obsolete word for a kiss on the hand. It comes from the French baiser meaning to kiss and la main meaning hand.

peenge

To complain in a whiny voice.

curwhibble

Yet another word for a thingamajig or whatsiwhosit whatchamacallit. In Hawaii, da kine.

hiccius doccius

This was a word used by jugglers during performances like magicians use abracadabra. It came to also meaning juggler or someone who cuts corners. The phrase may be from the Latin hicce est doctus, which means this is the learned man.

ageustia

Loss of the sense of taste.

Perhaps this explains why that Longhorn nearby is so popular...

nailing jelly to a tree

In honor of my little pine tree (see my other blog), here's a little phrase. It means dealing with a very messy, and probably impossible situation.

This idiom may have originated with psychologist Jerry Willis who published the book Nailing Jelly to a Tree (1981).

isangelous

Here's an obsolete word meaning equal to the angels.

pottle-draught

Several of you might be trying to do this today.

A pottle is a 4-pint tankard. To pottle-draught is to slam an entire pottle of liquor.

mesonoxian

Of or related to midnight.

peccatiphobia

This is the fear of sin. Also hamartophobia.

The meaning of peccatiphobia was the trivia question at the local Caribou Coffee the other day. When the guy told me it meant the fear of sin, I jokingly replied, "Who would be afraid of that?"

He gave me a funny look and stepped away like he thought I'd be smote by lightning or wished away to a corn field or something.