Just like facts and flies, English words have life-spans. Some are thousands of years old, from before English officially existed, others change, or are replaced or get ditched entirely.
Here are 18 uncommon or obsolete words that we think may have died early. We found them in two places: a book called “The Word Museum: The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten” by Jeffrey Kacirk, and on a blog called Obsolete Word of The Day that’s been out of service since 2010. Both are fantastic— you should check them out.
Snoutfair: A person with a handsome countenance — “The Word Museum: The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten” by Jeffrey Kacirk
Pussyvan: A flurry, temper — “The Word Museum: The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten” by Jeffrey Kacirk
Wonder-wench: A sweetheart — “The Word Museum: The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten” by Jeffrey Kacirk
Lunting: Walking while smoking a pipe — John Mactaggart’s “Scottish Gallovidian Encyclopedia,” 1824
California widow: A married woman whose husband is away from her for any extended period — John Farmer’s “Americanisms Old and New”, 1889
Groak: To silently watch someone while they are eating, hoping to be invited to join them – www.ObsoleteWord.Blogspot.com
Jirble: To pour out (a liquid) with an unsteady hand: as, he jirbles out a dram — www.Wordnik.com
Curglaff: The shock felt in bathing when one first plunges into the cold water — John Jamieson’s Etymological Scottish Dictionary, 1808
Spermologer: A picker-up of trivia, of current news, a gossip monger, what we would today call a columnist — “The Word Museum: The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten” by Jeffrey Kacirk
Tyromancy: Divining by the coagulation of cheese — “The Word Museum: The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten” by Jeffrey Kacirk
Beef-witted: Having an inactive brain, thought to be from eating too much beef. — John Phin’s “Shakespeare Cyclopaedia and Glossary”, 1902
Queerplungers: Cheats who throw themselves into the water in order that they may be taken up by their accomplices, who carry them to one of the houses appointed by the Humane Society for the recovery of drowned persons, where they are rewarded by the society with a guinea each, and the supposed drowned person, pretending he was driven to that extremity by great necessity, is also frequently sent away with a contribution in his pocket. — “The Word Museum: The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten” by Jeffrey Kacirk
Englishable: That which may be rendered into English — John Ogilvie’s “Comprehensive English Dictionary”, 1865
Resistentialism: The seemingly spiteful behavior shown by inanimate objects — www.ObsoleteWord.Blogspot.com
Bookwright: A writer of books; an author; a term of slight contempt — Daniel Lyons’s “Dictionary of the English Language”, 1897
Soda-squirt: One who works at a soda fountain in New Mexico — Elsie Warnock’s “Dialect Speech in California and New Mexico”, 1919
With squirrel: Pregnant — Vance Randolph’s “Down in the Holler: A Gallery of Ozark Folk Speech”, 1953
Zafty: A person very easily imposed upon — Maj. B. Lowsley’s “A Glossary of Berkshire Words and Phrases”, 1888
March 07, 2013 at 8:11 pm, Travis Nathan Taylor said:
Sweet list… but before I head off to do some afternoon lunting, I feel compelled to correct the modern English in the title of your lovely article, which should, I believe, read "never have" instead of "have never." Have a great day!
March 08, 2013 at 4:43 pm, Jennifer Faucon said:
Should read, "never should have gone"
March 13, 2013 at 5:00 am, Tom Smith said:
No, it should not have.
March 22, 2013 at 7:42 pm, Javier Velador said:
"which should have never gone out of style" in my opinion.
March 22, 2013 at 11:09 pm, Aimée L. Matheny said:
the crappy comma usage is a lot more egregious than the verb-adverb order.
besides, the list is lifted. without credit, of course.
March 25, 2013 at 10:47 pm, Elana Bowman said:
Isn't it which should never have?
March 26, 2013 at 12:14 pm, Mike Harrop said:
Contemporary Englished as "nevva shoulda gonna outta style".
March 07, 2013 at 10:32 pm, William Crafton said:
Lol…pussyvan.
March 08, 2013 at 12:59 am, Arthur Brands said:
I love archaic vocab. ought to be required in any English Lit. course.
March 08, 2013 at 2:57 pm, Jennifer Faucon said:
Oh, my literary friends! We have here a gold mine!
March 09, 2013 at 1:06 pm, Jo Ann Crooks Hall said:
Thanks for posting, Wonder-Wench! Too fun.
March 08, 2013 at 3:54 pm, Greg Hobson said:
I'm going to do my best to work these into conversations.
March 08, 2013 at 10:45 pm, Yolanda Smith said:
tyromancy
March 09, 2013 at 5:20 am, Carole Dennis Cornell said:
I like these words! I will try to use each in a sentence within the week. I am starting now. I've learned a lot about my future by tyromancing some excellent Gouda. For one thing, I shall become less zafty.
March 09, 2013 at 6:14 am, Michael Mallett said:
Oh, but your zvaftiness is what always drew me to you!
March 10, 2013 at 2:28 pm, Carl Press said:
Resistentialism
March 10, 2013 at 2:34 pm, Carl Press said:
Resistentialism is a phenomenon with which puppeteers are well aquainted. The term, while not in frequent use, is far from obsolete.
March 12, 2013 at 8:01 am, Lori Province said:
On the other hand, those of us that don't puppet, often find the resistentialism of doorways, corners, and open file drawers to be a bit of an irritant in a day's work.
March 19, 2013 at 10:40 am, William Cotter said:
Writers must also be wary of describing fictional objects in the middle of a room across which a character must walk without stumbling.
March 10, 2013 at 1:56 pm, Obsolete Words | Jennifer Ballinger – Editorial Services said:
[...] husband alerted me to this delightful article on obsolete words. It’s understandable that some of these have fallen out of use, what with [...]
March 10, 2013 at 8:25 pm, David Day said:
Relax, don't fly into a pussyvan.
March 11, 2013 at 12:59 pm, Peter Laine said:
there were a lot of those driving around in the 60's
March 10, 2013 at 7:16 pm, 18 obsolete words, which should never have gone out of style » Patrix's Favorites said:
[...] (Via Death and Taxes.) [...]
March 11, 2013 at 4:34 am, David Menegat said:
Awesome.
March 11, 2013 at 1:00 pm, Peter Laine said:
snout fair seems to be a bit of a left handed compliment.
March 11, 2013 at 1:24 pm, Phil Hodgkinson said:
And you Sir are a spermologer…:-)
March 11, 2013 at 4:32 pm, Eric Charles Cordova said:
I might be Beef witted….or something
March 11, 2013 at 5:02 pm, Meg Wilcox said:
How about "…ought never to have…"?
March 11, 2013 at 5:18 pm, Ailish Eklof said:
I agree with your formulation of "ought never to have," though I disagree with the sentiment. Most of those words shan't be missed. Some aren't even gone. Tyromancy, for example, is still around, but the activity it describes is pretty specialized and silly, so one rarely hears of it. The word on that list that I shall take it upon myself to revitalize is resistentialism!
March 11, 2013 at 5:42 pm, Meg Wilcox said:
Me, too! It will sound much better than cursing when the machine acts up!
March 21, 2013 at 9:56 pm, Derek Bolton said:
As will I.
March 31, 2013 at 10:40 pm, Bill Feagin said:
Resistentialism should be revived – it could have quite the extended half-life in the political arena (although this would require some redefinition, but how else do you keep language alive?).
March 11, 2013 at 9:08 pm, Gary L. Dryfoos said:
I'm not sure how many of those are truly cromulent.
March 23, 2013 at 12:15 am, Daniel C Cole said:
Absolutely perfect.
March 23, 2013 at 5:03 am, Adam Phytophile said:
None, since none were fabricated on the spot for this posting
March 12, 2013 at 3:21 am, Chuck Dennis said:
My favorite: beef-witted.
March 12, 2013 at 10:13 am, Kyle Ray said:
"Pussyvan" never went out of style, the meaning just changed.
March 12, 2013 at 1:43 pm, Jan Blimkie said:
Fascinating g
March 12, 2013 at 5:22 pm, Danny Sotelo said:
can't wait 'til a hundred years from now when people will say we should bring back words like 'swag' and 'yolo', lol.
March 13, 2013 at 1:25 am, Jennifer Lombardi said:
I stool don't know what yolo is…
March 13, 2013 at 2:04 am, Jeremy Stevens said:
you stool won't find out…
March 18, 2013 at 2:59 pm, Jason Potapoff said:
Would that be due to resistentialism?
March 20, 2013 at 2:18 am, Judith Vohs said:
@JENNIFER LOMBARDI ..yolo means you only live once
March 20, 2013 at 1:11 pm, Haasi Kuwa said:
people have already brought back the word swag
it already has a long history
March 23, 2013 at 7:48 am, Laura Barbagianna Bruno said:
Jennifer Lombardi yolo means you only live once, as far as I know
March 23, 2013 at 9:18 am, Geri Katell Copitch said:
YOLO – You Only Live Once
March 23, 2013 at 9:02 pm, Regina Higgs Madlem said:
You Only Live Once, Jennifer Lombardi!
March 23, 2013 at 11:16 pm, Luann DeLuca said:
YOLO = You Only Live Once
March 24, 2013 at 11:10 am, Trish Thompson said:
Jennifer Lombardi You only live once
March 24, 2013 at 11:26 pm, Kirk Anthony Abernathy said:
I m not sure that's Englishable….
March 25, 2013 at 3:24 am, Mercedes Marton said:
Jennifer Lombardi You Live Only Once (unless you are a Hindu)
March 25, 2013 at 6:45 am, Jane Spiess Williams said:
Jennifer Lombardi : I heard that yolo is "you only live once.:
March 25, 2013 at 3:50 pm, Stephenie Dison Kear said:
That will NEVER happen.
March 26, 2013 at 12:00 am, Benjamin Trammell said:
Yolo is Carpe Diem for stupid people.
March 30, 2013 at 12:03 am, Christopher Leete said:
Every time someone uses "yolo" God drowns a basket of kittens.
March 31, 2013 at 10:38 pm, Bill Feagin said:
In some cases, it also means You Obviously Lack Originality.
March 12, 2013 at 5:34 pm, Kimberly Lynn Call said:
I will endeavor to incorporate these gems into my speech post-haste
March 12, 2013 at 9:29 pm, Alexandra Shloss said:
what speech???????????????????
March 12, 2013 at 5:58 pm, Brian Smith said:
…These ain't words.
March 12, 2013 at 6:18 pm, Author Sass Cadeaux said:
I adore this page!
March 12, 2013 at 7:01 pm, Skip Frake said:
Scrabble anyone?
March 12, 2013 at 8:51 pm, Suzanne Oneill said:
perhaps we could persuade one of these words to come out of retirement and send that all-purpose superlative "amazing"–used every fourth sentence on average–to the Home for the Hoary–
March 13, 2013 at 1:44 am, Krissy Capriles said:
GROOVY!;-) LOVE!:-)
March 13, 2013 at 4:54 am, Martin Dufresne said:
Methinks there are still quite a few queerplungers working the trans trope…
March 13, 2013 at 9:29 am, Milk Man said:
So we'd be talking somewhat like this:
This California Widow is a real groaker. She watched the spermologer as he jirbled some irish cream into the coffee cup of the soda-squirt with a pussyvan and said nothing. He’s married to the zafty woman with squirrel who’s spent half of her adult life as an underpaid bookwright figuring out whether Arabic words are Englishable or not. She now works for the snoutfair you find lunting around town who took up tyromancy for a hobby when his wonder-wench ex-wife walked out on him because, well, he’s a bit of a beef-wit. Now she helps curglaffed queerplungers by giving them research tasks for her PhD in resistentialism.
March 14, 2013 at 12:05 pm, Julie Richardt Tackaberry said:
this is wonderful
March 14, 2013 at 4:08 pm, Sylvia Pesek said:
Milk Man, I am now performing a Grand Salaam in your general direction.
March 15, 2013 at 3:40 pm, Josh Langston said:
Bravo! Very clever. I SO wish I'd thought of something similar. Well done!
March 15, 2013 at 9:24 pm, Jeff Monks said:
Cock on! brilliant mate!
March 16, 2013 at 11:25 pm, Denise DeCesare said:
Resistentialism. Perfect for when my hypertension medication lands on it's edge and rolls into the vortex under my desk.
March 17, 2013 at 4:16 am, Eric Hanawalt said:
You now have two people performing the Grand Salaam in your general direction.
March 19, 2013 at 9:02 pm, Randy Howard said:
Hilarious, and well-played.
March 20, 2013 at 8:42 pm, Crystal Hope Kendrick said:
Bravo!
March 21, 2013 at 1:39 am, Tom Achatz said:
Way to deliver, Milk Man! If only we had more attentive service such as yours.
March 23, 2013 at 2:13 am, Renata Lozito said:
Internet's new national treasure.
March 23, 2013 at 5:00 am, Adam Phytophile said:
"curglaffed queerplungers" is a simply beautiful turn of phrase. that was the peak of that rendering, hands down.
March 23, 2013 at 4:34 pm, Karen Wickersham said:
Well done!
March 24, 2013 at 11:09 am, Trish Thompson said:
You took the words right out of my mouth Milk Man! Now my brain can rest
March 24, 2013 at 6:26 pm, David T Saint Albans said:
Huzzah! Well done!
March 24, 2013 at 9:09 pm, Elody Elder said:
Very clever!!
March 25, 2013 at 7:33 am, Mik Sherman said:
Yep! Jest lik Rasmuttenhead goaded, " I muss prolly agree halfhardedly widya! <3 !!
March 25, 2013 at 7:49 pm, Keith Wadforth said:
Finely put old chap
March 26, 2013 at 2:36 pm, Teresa Freeman said:
BRILLIANT!
March 26, 2013 at 6:10 pm, Ann Jordan-Mills said:
Excellent, @Milk Man, brilliant paragraph!
March 27, 2013 at 1:30 am, Melanie Starner Strout said:
That is hilarious! Well done!
March 30, 2013 at 12:02 am, Christopher Leete said:
Brilliant!
March 31, 2013 at 10:35 pm, Bill Feagin said:
MASTER!!!! Love it, well done, sir!
April 04, 2013 at 2:26 am, Poppy Seaberry said:
I am in love with your brain.
April 05, 2013 at 3:55 am, Kathryn F Hunt said:
U go, Milkman!
April 08, 2013 at 1:14 pm, Michael Noble said:
Touche!
May 11, 2013 at 4:34 pm, Erik Nelson said:
very finnegans wake
May 13, 2013 at 9:54 am, El's Zhevra Cogan said:
You are my hero. You made my day better
March 13, 2013 at 12:25 pm, Today’s Beef-Witted Tyromancy – ErosBlog: The Sex Blog said:
[...] Don’t mind me, I’m just playing about with 18 Obsolete Words Which Never Should Have Gone Out Of Style. [...]
March 13, 2013 at 6:37 pm, Jim Yazbeck said:
My youngest sister Odette Yazbeck was such a Groaker.
March 13, 2013 at 6:46 pm, Barbara Wolfe Jr. said:
Resistentialism! I am so glad there is a word for this. I have been calling it "the innate animosity of inanimate objects" and that takes a long time to say. However, there is the fact that people do know what I am talking about.
March 14, 2013 at 2:41 am, Maggie McGinn said:
oh, there are so many words i am going to start using! and resistentialism is at the top of the list!
March 16, 2013 at 2:26 am, David Barrett said:
The innate animosity of inanimate objects or I.A.O.I.O. Is often mispronounced as ow or sine other derivative of that word. This, often accompanied by choice words in some circumstances when merely stating the source of pain or frustration doesn't result in relief or said relief is fleeting.
March 14, 2013 at 6:18 am, Lisa Futvoye-Shepherd said:
Add: Egads, Sheesh and My Stars.
March 14, 2013 at 10:22 am, Carrie Dewey said:
Love these-going to try & bring a few back
March 14, 2013 at 5:29 pm, Patrick Sheehan said:
I ain't buyin' em, Em
March 14, 2013 at 5:30 pm, Emmett Flynn said:
You're no zafty, are you snoutfair?
March 15, 2013 at 12:12 am, Noel Frothingham said:
Beef-witted = meathead?
March 15, 2013 at 6:54 am, Sana Janakat said:
Words can be revived. In 1990 I was writing my PhD thesis; I used the word ragged to describe the fur of my rats. My supervisor (British) laughed his lungs out to read the word, and told me that this word was obsolete. Nowadays" ragged" is used all the time.
March 15, 2013 at 7:21 am, Barbara Jansen said:
I have NEVER EVER heard of any of these words. Way before my time and I am no
March 15, 2013 at 7:21 am, Barbara Jansen said:
Spring chicken!
March 16, 2013 at 3:24 am, Carol Barickman said:
I have lots of problems with resistentialism. So glad there is a word for it
March 16, 2013 at 3:40 pm, Stephen Harlow said:
That's a great one! Spiteful inanimate objects, what a concept. I also liked, "Tyromancy" – I think we need more of that today.
March 16, 2013 at 2:40 am, Wait, nobody does tyromancy any more? « Snippets of random said:
[...] Zafty: A person very easily imposed upon — Maj. B. Lowsley’s “A Glossary of Berkshire Words and Phrases”, 1888 [cite] [...]
March 16, 2013 at 7:50 am, Gillian Camilleri said:
Zafty and Beef-witted – in my dictionary as from now!
March 16, 2013 at 3:16 pm, Ellen Erway said:
Love them! Perhaps I am beef-witted. I know I'm not with squirrel!
April 07, 2013 at 5:26 pm, Jack Thurber said:
Did not Boris often tell Natasha that Moose is with squirrel? Denoting that Bo Winkle may have been pregnant in a beef-witted way
March 16, 2013 at 3:25 pm, Michael Smith said:
Congress then exhibits resistentialism.
March 16, 2013 at 1:51 pm, 18 Obsolete Words | haikudos said:
[...] http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/195348/18-obsolete-words-which-should-have-never-gone-out-of-style/ [...]
March 17, 2013 at 4:50 pm, Sunday Reading: Happy St. Patrick’s Day! | MiddBlog said:
[...] 18 English words that should have never gone out of use. Personal favorite: “with squirrel.” Also, the [...]
March 17, 2013 at 6:05 pm, I’m definitely using pussyvan | potential is a muscle said:
[...] 18 obsolete words, which never should have gone out of style [...]
March 18, 2013 at 1:45 pm, Chris Johnstone said:
Wow, it would appear that I've been using Spermologer and Queerplunger incorectly… Good to know.
March 19, 2013 at 3:24 am, Lee Hall said:
Resistentialism seem to be winning, certainly with me. Nothing like the perversity of inanimate objects!
March 19, 2013 at 7:03 am, Cathryn Cornish said:
OK I'm bringing back Resistentialism: The seemingly spiteful behavior shown by inanimate objects — http://www.ObsoleteWord.Blogspot.com
March 19, 2013 at 5:15 pm, Anastasia Bigun said:
fun but I wish it had sentence examples along. thank you!
March 19, 2013 at 10:11 pm, Ebony Murphy-Root said:
'Snoutfair'… I'm bringing it back!
March 20, 2013 at 2:16 am, R Orwell Baldwin said:
BEEF-WITTED!! yes!! me toooo
March 20, 2013 at 3:59 am, Terésa Dowell-Vest said:
Thank you Carmel! Great article and great fun… http://divablueblog.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-queerplungers-wonder-wench-and-soda.html
March 20, 2013 at 12:18 pm, Denny Plowman said:
Gong farmer: medieval (and later) English for the person who has to shovel the s**t out of the latrines and drains in castles and manorial halls.
March 20, 2013 at 1:44 pm, Marylee Blevins said:
queerplunger sounds like a good job for todays economy.
March 20, 2013 at 9:38 pm, Kerry Linton said:
I love zafty
March 20, 2013 at 11:57 pm, Susan Ford said:
I'm a "beef – witter" because I HAVE too much "beef".
(on me).
March 21, 2013 at 1:44 am, Irene Leber Fennessy said:
I nominate whappertyjawed as in slightly off kilter AND pantywaist as in weakling or pushover…
March 21, 2013 at 12:30 pm, Tyromancy | Maeve Swiftly said:
[...] Did you guys see this? [...]
March 21, 2013 at 1:14 pm, Top Picks Thursday 03-21-2013 | The Author Chronicles said:
[...] contribution to language by making up your own English words. Meanwhile, Carmel Lobello examines 18 obsolete words that never should have gone out of style; Ben Franklin lists 200+ synonyms for drunk; historian Greg Jenner collects his tweets on the [...]
March 21, 2013 at 8:04 pm, Justified recap: Drewbacca | Watching TV with the Millers said:
[...] In honor of Boyd’s 40 words where 4 will do, I’ve inserted a few obsolete words from this article to help articulate my deep appreciation for the level of entertainment this show is giving us. [...]
March 22, 2013 at 3:37 am, Elif Allenfort said:
I'm with squirrel and can't stop groaking!
March 22, 2013 at 7:02 am, The challenge: Write a sentence with these words | The Presteblog said:
[...] Death and Taxes discovered from two sources — The Word Museum: The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten, and the Obsolete Word of the Day blog — a list of words that are obsolete but should not be, including: [...]
March 22, 2013 at 1:04 pm, Weekend Reading 3/22/13 | Sightline Daily said:
[...] Tyromancy is “divining by the coagulation of cheese.” Jirble is “to pour out (a liquid) with an unsteady hand: as, he jirbles out a dram.” But what are snoutfair, zafty, and resistentialism? 18 English words that deserve resuscitation. [...]
March 22, 2013 at 6:16 pm, Jen Scott-Champion said:
Groak…it fits so perfectly! Why did this ever become obsolete?
March 22, 2013 at 7:51 pm, Marta Richards said:
Wow didn't know many of these! I like "Wonder-wench"! That would be a nice thing to be called, me thinks.
March 22, 2013 at 8:30 pm, Patricia Ann said:
Love this !
March 22, 2013 at 8:49 pm, Aaron Kaytee Drury said:
Zafty is my fav. B/c I am 1.
March 22, 2013 at 10:14 pm, Rebecca Bex Clark said:
Making words more Englishable is my lifetime hobby!
March 22, 2013 at 11:31 pm, Angela Berry said:
Ok that is not what a queerplunger is…
March 22, 2013 at 11:35 pm, William B. Duncan said:
My wife the wonder wench
March 22, 2013 at 7:46 pm, I vow to use at least one of these lost words every day. | sarahremy said:
[...] I vow to use at least one of these lost words every day. [...]
March 23, 2013 at 12:35 am, Craig Johannsen said:
I'm pretty sure I never will use "tyromancy".
March 23, 2013 at 1:10 am, Robert Leyland said:
Wonder Wench never went out of style!
March 23, 2013 at 1:42 am, Johnny Medina said:
he said "zafty".
March 23, 2013 at 2:33 am, Suzanne White Cash said:
That was very insightful. Luvd it
March 23, 2013 at 2:57 am, Ian Barrs said:
I guess society just floccinaucinihilipilificated these words out of existence…
March 23, 2013 at 4:13 pm, Paul Trotter said:
Fantastic!
March 23, 2013 at 5:16 pm, Alison Minet Adams said:
Mili Man rocks
March 23, 2013 at 5:17 pm, Lynda L B Duke said:
My hands shake a bit so I tend to jirble with my left hand! LOL!
March 23, 2013 at 1:25 pm, Obsolete, But Not Forgotten | southern skies publishing said:
[...] Obsolete Words That Should Have Never Gone Out of Style [...]
March 23, 2013 at 6:02 pm, Mindy Diltz said:
How sad it is to see some words we used not to long ago.
March 23, 2013 at 6:05 pm, Mindy Diltz said:
I'm definitely going to look into those books. I have a fun one titled Diseased English. I often want to pass out copies of it to people that mangle their mother tongue.
March 23, 2013 at 6:43 pm, Tom Hardison said:
I've know a couple of bacon-witted trombone players…who probably aren't above groaking at someone else's stash of breakfast meat….
March 23, 2013 at 10:58 pm, Amy Christenson said:
This snoutfair hopes to groak soon, i promise not to jirble a dram Aw
March 23, 2013 at 11:19 pm, Dave Grady said:
Your sister is With squirrely. Thanks Sarah, That was great, needed that had,
a long day!
March 24, 2013 at 1:20 pm, Joe Lanfrankie said:
At least four of those words would earn you a "hostile work environment" write-up.
March 24, 2013 at 1:23 pm, Brian Foote said:
Love it love it! I finished an art project have two certs to finish and course to finish but i would love memorize these and use them! Can you imagine the responses? Hunh? I get that already!
March 24, 2013 at 1:38 pm, Randy Yoder said:
what about kneuterism?
March 24, 2013 at 10:03 am, The Internet is Amazing 03.24.13 | self-rediscovering storyteller said:
[...] an English word for watch someone eat hoping they’ll ask you to join [...]
March 24, 2013 at 2:10 pm, Greg Holborn said:
I think spell check would go crazy with those word selection
March 24, 2013 at 4:58 pm, Noelle Marie Massey said:
Milk Man, you are an incredible spermologer, and a snoutfair as well.
March 24, 2013 at 4:17 pm, The DC Folly Trolley – 03/24/13 | Corruptus Maximus said:
[...] http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/195348/18-obsolete-words-which-should-have-never-gone-out-of-style/ [...]
March 24, 2013 at 6:09 pm, Cosby sweaters and obsolete words | Librarian for Life said:
[...] Cosby sweaters are awesome, as we have already determined. So are these 18 obsolete words, which never should have gone out of style. Who knew that I have been a California widow, as well as married to man who’s both a [...]
March 25, 2013 at 12:43 am, Ed Lark said:
Beef witted is certainly still valid. I say we should continue to use these! Now pardon me whilst I go a lunting!
March 25, 2013 at 10:41 am, Heather Arnold said:
Denise McAllister Neill Wylie Manon Marie Boudet-Carrigan I think you three people will love this little gem.
March 25, 2013 at 2:36 pm, Michael Lund said:
So so
March 25, 2013 at 5:38 pm, Clive Stone said:
My grandmother used to say if you use a word ten times in any given day it was yours to keep…bit of a challenge with some of these ones.
March 25, 2013 at 5:49 pm, Katherine Forrestall said:
Ore, more !!
March 25, 2013 at 6:36 pm, Michelle Faridi said:
Interesting.
March 25, 2013 at 6:59 pm, Andrew Ovenden said:
So, my English teacher was surprised to see me dressed as a sodasquirt. I mean, really, she was sure I would become a famous bookwright. But, that was before I met my wonderwench while groaking. Now, I'm not saying she was zafty, but she was VERY snoutfair. She was so impressed with my spermology that it wasn't long before she was with squirrel. What a curglaff! It put me into a real resistentialist pussyvan. For weeks, all I could do was jirble my drinks. None of my words were Englishable. I could have been a queerplunger and made her a California widow, but after lunting around in the woods for a while I resolved to consult the local tyromancer, who said "don't be such a beefwit!" So, I married her (the wonderwench, not my English teacher!).
March 25, 2013 at 8:37 pm, Kerry Ann Grimshaw said:
Brilliant!! What an array of fabulously crude sounding words!!
March 26, 2013 at 1:48 am, Kay Forrester said:
The spawning of the term yolo is perturbing
March 26, 2013 at 8:54 pm, Bill Trotter said:
Great words
March 27, 2013 at 2:59 am, Tom Rispoli said:
Lunting and bookwright are the only 2 I've ever heard. Interesting, though.
March 27, 2013 at 3:22 am, Comrade Rasputin said:
Beef-witted. I knew there was a reason I don't eat beef!
March 27, 2013 at 3:41 am, Dena B Phillips said:
Hysterical! & SOOO perfect for 2013! I will be using one ( at least ) in my profession of a million hats for Lent & just in case , & "on second thought" & absolutely "well in My opinion,,,,, " Thankx for a grin I needed tonite!
March 27, 2013 at 6:27 am, Spreading Some Blog Loving | blueberetmum said:
[...] Inkyfool for explaining to me why I couldn’t answer a single question in the recent University Challenge. We had a steak for dinner that night, hence I was beef-witted [...]
March 27, 2013 at 1:46 pm, David Evans said:
"Resistentialism" was never part of the language. It was invented by the English humorist Paul Jennings for his "Report On Resistentialism" (1948), a satire on existentialism.
March 27, 2013 at 10:22 am, 18 Obsolete Words: said:
[...] That should definitely make a comeback! 18 obsolete words, which never should have gone out of style | Death and Taxes Melissa, Remy & Brooklyn Reply With [...]
March 27, 2013 at 4:35 pm, Frankenworth Francis said:
But these are commonplace trinkets in my front parlour.
March 27, 2013 at 6:15 pm, Juliet Viney said:
Wonder-wench is my favourite!
March 27, 2013 at 11:48 pm, Debra Kannan said:
Love!
March 27, 2013 at 9:02 pm, Cynthia’s Corner (Around the Web, 3/19-3/26) | Appy Mall said:
[...] Do you know what it means to “groak”? How about what “resistantialism” means? If you like words that will make your autocorrect confused, stop over HERE. [...]
March 28, 2013 at 3:07 am, Dead words that want reviving » FU20 said:
[...] 18 obsolete words, which never should have gone out of style [...]
March 28, 2013 at 8:45 am, Off topic: Peeps dioramas, spy wigs, UFO memo and obsolete words | SiliconBeat said:
[...] FBI online archives is a memo from an alleged UFO crash in 1950. And here’s a selection of splendid old-fashioned words that need to come back into [...]
March 28, 2013 at 11:36 am, Wonder-wench | Audere Semper! said:
[...] titel komt hier [...]
March 28, 2013 at 6:06 pm, Helen Johnson Thompson said:
I particularly like "with squirrel
March 28, 2013 at 6:30 pm, Gleep Wurp said:
is queerplungers actually englishable?
March 29, 2013 at 4:19 am, De De Gower said:
Never, ever heard of these.
March 29, 2013 at 4:52 am, Savio Pereira said:
Vera de Jong, enjoy
March 29, 2013 at 6:01 am, Terry Lambert said:
The beef witted queerplunger knew not of his fate when he recoiled in curglaff after first breaking the ice on the surface of the pond.
March 29, 2013 at 10:49 am, Sean Burns said:
I for one encounter resistentialist objects several times daily. Red lights, books that won't stay open to the correct page, deodorant containers that tip over, etc. I simply substitute a curse word for the obsolete formerly-used adjective "resistentialist".
March 29, 2013 at 9:15 am, The List List #50 said:
[...] at Death and Taxes, 18 Obsolete Words, Which Never Should Have Gone Out of Style [...]
March 29, 2013 at 3:25 pm, Professional Business Marketing » ICYMI: March at Forbes NetAppVoice said:
[...] into topics like big data, cloud computing, mobility, and data security (insofar as they may be Englishable, of [...]
March 30, 2013 at 6:54 am, Scott Davis said:
What a bookwright.
March 30, 2013 at 4:06 pm, Mark Hughes Gerow said:
With Squirrel… awesome…
April 02, 2013 at 2:03 am, Michael Wade said:
This week's challenge: use 5 of these in conversation in the correct context.All must use the word "spermologer".
April 02, 2013 at 5:03 am, Joshua Kopeček said:
It should be pointed out that quite a number of these words are not 'English' in the linguistic sense….
Three are Scottish dialect.
One is Berkshire dialect.
Three are American dialects.
One is exclusively Shakespearean.
…and Resistentialism and Groak don't have clear references.
Which still leaves ten fantastically evocative words.
April 02, 2013 at 5:35 am, Andrew Sly said:
I found a few examples of the words in text from Project Gutenberg:
"By tyromancy, whereof we make some proof in a great Brehemont cheese which I here keep by me."–Gargantua and Pantagruel, Book III. (PG#8168)
"Mrs. Jones leaped into the middle of the floor, examined the contents of wardrobe and closets. Yes—his clothes were all there; she couldn't decide whether she was a 'California widow' or not; the chances were about even."–The Life and Beauties of Fanny Fern (PG#41231).
"Never was among such a beef-witted set of addlepates since I was born."–Austin and His Friends (PG#16099).
"It has little that is American; it might as well be written by some book-wright in Leipsic or London, and then imported."–Speeches, Addresses, and Occasional Sermons, Volume 3 (PG#34688).
April 02, 2013 at 6:35 am, Elisabetta Arisi said:
Wow!
April 02, 2013 at 7:01 am, Alice McLean Barnes said:
I vote we bring back zafty with a new meaning like a
April 02, 2013 at 2:01 pm, Betty Anspach Armstrong said:
Good for SCRABBLE?
April 02, 2013 at 6:03 pm, Words that should have never gone out of style | Nick's Portfolio said:
[...] Great Article Here [...]
April 02, 2013 at 7:48 pm, Dummies, Beef-wits, and Giants on the Run | lying for a living said:
[...] 18 Obsolete words that should never have gone out of style. [...]
April 04, 2013 at 6:53 am, Kyle Pomeroy said:
Groak: To silently watch someone while they are eating, hoping to be invited to join them –.
LOL I think that's been replaced with stalking.
April 04, 2013 at 10:46 am, Renessa Bak said:
Funny, the first of 105 comments just now does just that. And is worth reading.
April 04, 2013 at 1:08 pm, Extra Tidbits for session 11 (Snaps and Fracking…) | Read this and think! said:
[...] 18 obsolete words, which never should have gone out of style | Death and Taxes [...]
April 05, 2013 at 9:01 am, 18 obsolete words, which never should have gone out of style | The Passive Voice | Writers, Writing, Self-Publishing, Disruptive Innovation and the Universe said:
[...] to the rest at deathandtaxes and thanks to Seth for the [...]
April 05, 2013 at 12:01 pm, Session 11 Extra Tidbits (Snaps, Fracking…) | Torching the Mundane said:
[...] More fun words: Groak and 18 others. [...]
April 06, 2013 at 6:08 am, Jacqueline Driggers said:
Having read these words, I can understand how they have passed out of usage. But there is one that I would like to bring back – bookwright.
April 06, 2013 at 9:03 pm, Elizabeth Joy Carter said:
This is beyond brilliant!
April 08, 2013 at 12:02 pm, Martin Garcia said:
Really? Seems like these words would be pretty useless today.
April 08, 2013 at 1:15 pm, Jennifer Bisbing said:
hmmm. useless words…?
April 09, 2013 at 6:17 pm, Julie Sheriff said:
cool, I was surely with squirrel, we just sacked off the little tails , made little furry caps. ; )
April 13, 2013 at 12:05 pm, Playwriting Exercise: Dead words brought back to life « The Theatrefolk Weblog said:
[...] of words, nothing tickles me more than seeing words that used to have a life and do no longer. Death and Taxes has a list of 18 obsolete words – (Don’t click there just yet! Read down and do the exercise first.) The website [...]
April 15, 2013 at 4:02 pm, Connie Hoyt said:
Love that "with squirrel" is attributed to "Down in the Holler: A Gallery of Ozark Folk Speech"
April 19, 2013 at 6:28 pm, Words, words, words! | My artsy-spicy cup of coffee said:
[...] English words. Although most of them are quite lovely, for some reasons they run out of style. Here is Carmel Lobello‘s selection for the Death and Taxes [...]
April 19, 2013 at 10:17 pm, Weekend Notes II | Mister Mumbles said:
[...] Words that should have never been obsolete. I’m partial to “wonder-wench.” [...]
April 20, 2013 at 1:51 pm, Graham Tunnadine said:
Still bookwright. But my gt gt grandmother was a Typewriter
April 26, 2013 at 12:14 pm, Sonya Dawson said:
Lol @ spermologer – will b using that!
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May 15, 2013 at 3:41 pm, Snoutfair, pussyvan and lunting – words English should never have forgotten | thatthereengland said:
[...] Now if you enjoy odd, half-forgotten words, you should check out the obsoleteblogspot website. And you should definitely check out this list. [...]
May 15, 2013 at 11:10 pm, The New Dan Century Blog - You are Snoutfair, but also Beef-witted said:
[...] 18 Obsolete words, which never should have gone out of style. [...]