Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: SKAFF-law, noun Notes: An interesting word — you may know the meaning Yesterday’s word The word widdershins means a counterclockwise (anticlockwise in the UK), left-handed, or wrong direction. It is also spelled withershins, which seems to be the original version. First usage The word goes back to the early 1500s Background / Comments TheContinue reading “scofflaw”

Pronounced: WID-uhr-shins, adv Notes: I ran into this word years ago in a book by Dorothy Sayers; I find this a fun word, if not much used these days. Yesterday’s word The word frumious means “very angry” First usage This word came into being in the mid-1800s Background / Comments The word was coined byContinue reading “widdershins”

Pronounced: FROO-mih-us, adj Notes: I think many people, especially if they have read classic books, have probably run across this word Yesterday’s word The word Demogorgon is “a mysterious spirit or deity often explained as a primeval creator god who antedates the gods of Greek mythology” First usage This word showed up in the lateContinue reading “frumious”

Pronounced: dee-muh-GORE-guhn, noun Notes: This is late due to a scheduling error. I’ve never seen this word Yesterday’s word A ceilidh is “a social gathering, typically involving folk music, dancing, and storytelling” First Usage This word showed up in the late 1800s Background / Comments If you know the word, you probably know its originContinue reading “Demogorgon”

Pronounced: KAY-lee, noun Notes: Notice the pronunciation; not what one would think from the spelling Yesterday’s word The word dithyramb is a usually short peom in an inspired wild irregular strain a statement or writing in an exalted or enthusiastic vein First Usage The word came into English in the late 1500s Background / CommentsContinue reading “ceilidh”

Pronounced: DIH-thih-ram(b), noun Notes: Another word I’ve never run across as far as I know Yesterday’s word The word droog means “a member of a gang; a henchman” First usage This word was coined in the early 1960s Background / Comments The word was coined by Anthony Burgess in A Clockwork Orange – it isContinue reading “dithyramb”

Pronounced: droog, noun Notes: You may know this word; I didn’t Yesterday’s word The word rugose means full of wrinkles having the veinlets sunken and the spaces between elevated First usage This word came into English in the late 1600s Background / Comments This word came into English from the Latin word rugosus (wrinkled), whichContinue reading “droog”

Pronounced: ROO-gohs, adj Notes: An interesting word to know Yesterday’s word The word blate, as a verb, means “to babble; to cry” — as an adjective, it means “timid” First usage The verb goes back to the late 1800s; the adjective goes way back to 1000 Background / Comments The verb form is thought toContinue reading “rugose”

Pronounced: blate, verb/adj Notes: Such a simple word, but I didn’t know it Yesterday’s word The word crepitate means “to make a crackling sound: to make a series of short, sharp noises” First usage This word came into English twice; first in the early 1600s, and then in the mid-1800s (see below) Background / CommentsContinue reading “blate”

Pronounced: KREH-puh-tate, verb Notes: I don’t think I’ve every run across this word Yesterday’s word The word metathesis means the transposition of letters, sounds, or syllables in a word in chemistry, double decomposition First usage This word goes back to the mid-1500s Background / Comments It’s the first definition that I referred to yesterday. AnContinue reading “crepitate”