What interesting and obscure words can you contribute?

pickarooney

I only learned the real meaning of this word recently:

amok as in 'run amok'
(among members of certain Southeast Asian cultures) a psychic disturbance characterized by depression followed by a manic urge to murder

tac foley

pickarooney wrote: »

I only learned the real meaning of this word recently:

amok as in 'run amok'
(among members of certain Southeast Asian cultures) a psychic disturbance characterized by depression followed by a manic urge to murder

I often feel like that - I thought it was my Irish side...

tac

P. Breathnach

tac foley wrote: »

I often feel like that - I thought it was my Irish side...

Your Irish side wants to run amuck: http://www.runamuckchallenge.com/

tac foley

I offer you - the Goffering Iron.

A device heated over a flame to put crimps or waves into muslin strips for decorative purposes - as worn on ladies' old-style hats and bonnets.

tac

tac foley

...and another - Peavey

A long-shafted spike with a curved blade set at right-angles, used by lumberjacks to manipulate logs in the long-pond.

tac

tac foley

One more?

Meplat - the small flattened top of a jacketed bullet where the final drawing of the jacket material takes place.

tac

Mr NoTV

anopisthographic

what did you think of my CV ?
I thought it rather anopisthographic.

(anopisthographic ... to have writing or printing only on one side of the page)

Mr NoTV

tac foley wrote: »

Trug - a traditional wooden basket used in gardening.

tac

Herstmonceux, East Sussex ... in my childhood, there were 2 Trug makers ... now there's only one ... 2nd rate imports from China don't you know.
http://www.truggery.co.uk/ ... buy the real thing - it'll last you a lifetime.

GreenWolfe

fey, means doomed to die
I was reading Lord of the Rings (I think) and came across fey recently.

slowburner

tac foley wrote: »

...and another - Peavey

A long-shafted spike with a curved blade set at right-angles, used by lumberjacks to manipulate logs in the long-pond.

tac

They'd be 'Pikes', in this neck of the woods.

P. Breathnach

slowburner wrote: »

They'd be 'Pikes', in this neck of the woods.

And used solely for working with timber, of course.

wilkie2006

For all the boozers out there (me included)...

According to Thomas Nash, there are 8 types of drunkard:

Ape-drunke - "He leapes, and sings, and hollowes, and danceth for the heavens"
Lion-drunke - "He flings the pots about the house, call his Hostess whore, breakes the glasse windows with his dagger, and is apt to quarrell with any man that speaks to him"
Swine-drunk - "Heavy lumpish, and sleepie, and cries for a little more drink"
Sheepe-drunk - "Wise in his owne conceipt, when he cannot bring forth a right word"
Mawdlen-drunk - "When a fellowe will weepe for kindness in the midst of his Ale, and kisse you, saying; By God Captaine I love thee, goe thy waies thou dost not thinke so often of me as I do of thee, I would (if it pleased GOD) I could not love thee so well as I doo, and then he puts his finger in this eie, and cries"
Martin-drunke - "When a man is drunke and drinkes himselfe sober ere he stirre"
Goat-drunk - Made lascivious by alcohol
Foxe-drunk - "When he is craftie drunke, as many of the Dutch men bee, and never bargain but when they are drunke"

skylight1987

FLIBBERTIGIBBET . whimsical or flighty person
and my favourite word in the english language
along with FASTIDIOUS - difficult to please

pickarooney

tac foley wrote: »

I offer you - the Goffering Iron.

A device heated over a flame to put crimps or waves into muslin strips for decorative purposes - as worn on ladies' old-style hats and bonnets.

tac

Sounds suspiciously like the name of a device for making Belgian waffles.

P. Breathnach

pickarooney wrote: »

Sounds suspiciously like the name of a device for making Belgian waffles.

Well spotted. Now look up gauffre.

GreenWolfe

transpose - to reverse or transfer the order or place of; interchange

paddyandy

Free

Bannasidhe

paddyandy wrote: »

Free

Music to the ears of the parsimonious among us.