# Most underused words these days **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 11, 2007, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underused-words-these-days/387484 "2007-01-11T01:08:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underused-words-these-days/387484/21 "2007-01-11T14:37:09Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham"Incompossible" [/QUOTE] Beresk. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underused-words-these-days/387484/22 "2007-01-11T14:44:31Z")
> [@](#): > > [QUOTE=CalMeacham"Incompossible" [/QUOTE] > > Beresk. ??? ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underused-words-these-days/387484/23 "2007-01-11T14:52:22Z")
It’s how my coding went. It is a corruption of “beserk”. Haven’t heard it for ages. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underused-words-these-days/387484/24 "2007-01-11T15:14:20Z")
I think you mean “berserk” (which is supposed to derive from “ber sirk” = “bear shirt”), but I have to admit that I hear that sonmetimes. But why cite me? ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underused-words-these-days/387484/25 "2007-01-11T15:56:20Z")
[QUOTE=Sapo] Inspired on the overused words thread. There are some words that we should be using more often. “Turd” is high on the list. I would add busturd and turdelicious but those are just made up 🙂 But the top word in my list of words being lost to underuse is “Buffoon”. What a wonderful word. What a pity to see it lost because it is being ignored by ignorant buffoons. What words do you think we should be using more? [/QUOTE] I’ve used “buffoon” frequently over the past few years in referring to a certain right wing talk show host, who rattles paper near his microphone. As in: “bombastic buffoon”. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underused-words-these-days/387484/26 "2007-01-11T16:06:43Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] Defenestrate. A rather complex action distilled down to four syllables. [/QUOTE] “Throw through the window” is only five syllables… I enjoy “thrice”; it usually gets me strange looks. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underused-words-these-days/387484/27 "2007-01-11T16:10:11Z")
[QUOTE=BobLibDem] “I made a mistake and I’m sorry” “What is your opinion?” “How can I help you?” [/QUOTE] “I don’t know the answer, but I’ll find out for you” (I’d rather hear a simple “I’ll find out” than someone guessing the answer any day). Now this answer wasn’t exactly what the OP asked for… so for my real answer, I’ll say: [abecedarian](http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/abecedarian) ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underused-words-these-days/387484/28 "2007-01-11T16:24:52Z")
[QUOTE=fachverwirrt] “Throw through the window” is only five syllables… I enjoy “thrice”; it usually gets me strange looks. [/QUOTE] one syllable less, 20% optimization 😉 thrice is also a great word that I use often. opine, the verb, is also high on my list. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_C](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Captain\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_C)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underused-words-these-days/387484/29 "2007-01-11T16:27:51Z")
Concordantly ergo vis a vie (I don’t know how to make the cool little squiggle. Oh! That’s another one) squiggle ---
**Author:** ![InappropriateHumor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eb8c5e/32.png) [@InappropriateHumor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InappropriateHumor)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underused-words-these-days/387484/30 "2007-01-11T16:31:48Z")
Porcine Vex(ing) As in, “His porcine behavior was sorely vexing.” ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underused-words-these-days/387484/31 "2007-01-11T17:44:18Z")
. . . I offer these sadly neglected words: From _Esperanto_ **fibopatriningo** : a container into which you insert one end of an unpleasant mother-in-law. From _Greek_ **raphanizow** : to thrust a radish up the fundament; a punishment for adulterers in Athens. From _Sesuto_ **malito** : something which a person lets fall and which his cousin can pick up and keep if the owner does not say “ngaele”. ---
**Author:** ![Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Licentious_Ectomorph)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2007, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underused-words-these-days/387484/32 "2007-01-12T16:06:54Z")
With regard to my user name, **misnomer** once commented that “licentious” is a word that’s not used enough. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2007, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underused-words-these-days/387484/33 "2007-01-12T17:43:57Z")
[QUOTE=Licentious Ectomorph] With regard to my user name, **misnomer** once commented that “licentious” is a word that’s not used enough. 🙂 [/QUOTE] Along those lines, I would like to see “hussy” and “cad” make a comeback. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Lance_Murdoch)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2007, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underused-words-these-days/387484/34 "2007-01-12T20:28:32Z")
[QUOTE=fachverwirrt] “Throw through the window” is only five syllables… I enjoy “thrice”; it usually gets me strange looks. [/QUOTE] I was actually kind of pleased when Mike Tyson did that to someone a few years back because I got the chance to dust off that word. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2007, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underused-words-these-days/387484/35 "2007-01-12T20:33:43Z")
I’ve always been partial to the word varlet. ---
**Author:** ![According\_to\_Pliny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@According\_to\_Pliny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/According_to_Pliny)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2007, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underused-words-these-days/387484/36 "2007-01-12T21:01:04Z")
German-American. Also British-American. And okay French-American. You hear of Italian-American, Philipino-American, Irish-American, Japanese-American. But that sort of thing leaves most people out. And it’s not just long ago families, but many WWII immigrants came from Germany, GB, and France. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2007, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underused-words-these-days/387484/37 "2007-01-12T23:28:00Z")
[QUOTE=Cunctator] I knew that I would turn into my parents one day: Please and thank you. [/QUOTE] And “you’re welcome.” It’s been replaced by “no problem.” ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2007, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underused-words-these-days/387484/38 "2007-01-12T23:45:38Z")
[QUOTE=Lissa] Along those lines, I would like to see “hussy” and “cad” make a comeback. [/QUOTE] Trollop, Jerk, and _persona non grata_ ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underused-words-these-days/387484/39 "2007-01-13T00:21:57Z")
**Ploy** is a wonderful word, and nice to say, but sadly neglected. **Banter** is another unjustly negelected word. Slight hijack but forgiveable, I hope, because too good not to share… can I just mention my two favourite words in the whole world? The first is the Italian word for ‘tortoise’, which is **tartaruga**. I _love_ that word. The other is… well, you know those little hand-held fireworks that are basically just a length of wire dipped in fireworky stuff, and you light one end and it gives off a shower of sparks while it burns down? Here in England we call it a ‘sparkler’. But in Sweden it’s a… **tomtebloss**. Say it and savour it… _tomtebloss_. Isn’t it a gorgeous word? And the plural is… exactly the same! ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underused-words-these-days/387484/40 "2007-01-13T02:39:54Z")
Strumpet! Definitely strumpet. My husband calls me that when we’re feeling naughty. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underused-words-these-days/387484.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underused-words-these-days/387484.md?page=3)