# \-dous, did we do this in -gry thread? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 15, 2000, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dous-did-we-do-this-in-gry-thread/7280 "2000-02-15T21:00:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![VileOrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/9e8a1a/32.png) [@VileOrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VileOrb)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2000, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dous-did-we-do-this-in-gry-thread/7280/1 "2000-02-15T21:00:00Z")
A friend says there are four words in english ending in -dous. I can only think of three: stupendous, tremendous, and horrendous. I have a vague recollection of coming across this in a -gry thread but I can’t find it right now. So, I guess I have two questions. 1. What is the fourth word? 2. Did we deal with this already or am I dreaming? * * * If men had wings, and bore black feathers, few of them would be clever enough to be crows. - Rev. Henry Ward Beecher ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2000, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dous-did-we-do-this-in-gry-thread/7280/2 "2000-02-15T21:12:00Z")
Hazardous. There are probably a bunch of less common ones, but I can’t think of any offhand. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2000, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dous-did-we-do-this-in-gry-thread/7280/3 "2000-02-15T21:13:00Z")
“Hazardous,” but I’m sure that OED lists dozens of others, too. After all, they have about 100 “-gry” words. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2000, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dous-did-we-do-this-in-gry-thread/7280/4 "2000-02-15T21:18:00Z")
Go to [www.onelook.com](http://www.onelook.com) and type, “\*dous”, less the quotation marks, into the search string box and hit the search button. You’ll find at least another dozen. * * * _Here’s mud in yer eye,_ UncleBeer ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2000, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dous-did-we-do-this-in-gry-thread/7280/5 "2000-02-15T21:28:00Z")
Angrydous? ::ducking:: ---
**Author:** ![VileOrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/9e8a1a/32.png) [@VileOrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VileOrb)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2000, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dous-did-we-do-this-in-gry-thread/7280/6 "2000-02-15T21:36:00Z")
It’s interesting that the “one look” dictionary doesn’t come up with the three I mentioned. I hadn’t tried that on before, thanks for the link. I couldn’t get OED to work today, I’ll try tomorrow. Anyone got an answer for my second question? Sorry if this is a lame thread but I’m brain fried today and I need to borrow a few neurons to get me through until I can get some time to sleep. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2000, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dous-did-we-do-this-in-gry-thread/7280/7 "2000-02-15T21:40:00Z")
This question is answered in Cecil’s first book, but the column is not yet online. From memory: he provided all four common words, then had a bit along the lines of: > [@](#): > > And let’s not forget jeopardous. Whaddya mean, that’s not a common word? “Milord, what is thy favorite quiz show?” > “Jeopardous, varlet!” That was the sense of it, anyway… This was followed by people sending in a kazillion -dous words. What a shocker. - Rick ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2000, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dous-did-we-do-this-in-gry-thread/7280/8 "2000-02-15T21:53:00Z")
VileOrb, it doesn’t find those because the default search looks in the specialty, such as medical, legal & technical, dictionaries first. If you look near the center of the screen, you will find an option to search generic dictionaries, rather than the topical ones. ---
**Author:** ![NanoByte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecc23a/32.png) [@NanoByte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NanoByte)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2000, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dous-did-we-do-this-in-gry-thread/7280/9 "2000-02-15T21:56:00Z")
Ya seen one ‘duh’, ya seen all the ‘dous’. Ray (leaving before becoming endostomatopodous) ---
**Author:** ![VileOrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/9e8a1a/32.png) [@VileOrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VileOrb)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2000, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dous-did-we-do-this-in-gry-thread/7280/10 "2000-02-15T21:56:00Z")
AHA! I’m not dreaming I was just misremembering the location of the dicussion. I am, however, still brain dead enough to have trouble using a search engine. ouch. Heineken and Goldschlager on an empty stomach. Thanks Unc. * * * If men had wings, and bore black feathers, few of them would be clever enough to be crows. - Rev. Henry Ward Beecher ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2000, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dous-did-we-do-this-in-gry-thread/7280/11 "2000-02-15T22:24:00Z")
From one of the world’s foremost verbivores: [http://pw1.netcom.com/~rlederer/gry.htm](http://pw1.netcom.com/~rlederer/gry.htm) “At least 32 additional -dous words repose in various dictionaries: apodous, antropodous, blizzardous, cogitabundous, decapodous, frondous, gastropodous, heteropodous, hybridous, iodous, isopodous, jeopardous, lagopodous, lignipodous, molybdous, mucidous, multifidous, nefandous, nodous, octapodous, palladous, paludous, pudendous, repandous, rhodous, sauropodous, staganopodous, tetrapodous, thamphipodous, tylopodous, vanadous and voudous.” ---
**Author:** ![VileOrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/9e8a1a/32.png) [@VileOrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VileOrb)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2000, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dous-did-we-do-this-in-gry-thread/7280/12 "2000-02-15T22:30:00Z")
Thanks all for the loan of you grey matter. Perhaps I can return the favor some day. I couldn’t remember any of this as a result of having avoided the -gry topics for a long time and not being in peak shape today. Time to go home and sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Alphagene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Alphagene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alphagene)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2000, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dous-did-we-do-this-in-gry-thread/7280/13 "2000-02-15T23:05:00Z")
> [@](#): > > This question is answered in Cecil’s first book, but the column is not yet online. It’s actually from Cecil’s third book and it _can_ be found online: [url=http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3\_236.html]What are the four common English words ending in “-dous”? [/quote] * * * **Marge** : Your father is… resting. **Bart** : “Resting” hung over? “Resting” got fired? Help me out here. ---
**Author:** ![Alphagene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Alphagene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alphagene)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2000, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dous-did-we-do-this-in-gry-thread/7280/14 "2000-02-15T23:07:00Z")
Sheesh. Mr Smartypants Link Geek can’t get his URL straight. [What are the four common English words ending in “-dous”?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_236.html) ---
**Author:** ![Satan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Satan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satan)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2000, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dous-did-we-do-this-in-gry-thread/7280/15 "2000-02-16T01:24:00Z")
Well, here is the list I got which has every word up to 15 letters that is acceptable in Scrabble: AMADOUS APODOUS DECAPODOUS HAZARDOUS HORRENDOUS IODOUS NODOUS NONHAZARDOUS PALLADOUS STUPENDOUS TREMENDOUS ULTRAHAZARDOUS VANADOUS You’re welcome… 😃 * * * Yer pal, Satan ---
**Author:** ![TheUnforgiven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TheUnforgiven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheUnforgiven)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2000, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dous-did-we-do-this-in-gry-thread/7280/16 "2000-02-16T01:52:00Z")
What? No semihazardous? ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2000, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dous-did-we-do-this-in-gry-thread/7280/17 "2000-02-16T02:02:00Z")
So, Satan, how about a list of words that end in… _flees in terror from hordes of angry SDMB-ers with rotten tomatoes_