# Post an obscure word, its definition, and use it in a sentence. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 10, 2008, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-obscure-word-its-definition-and-use-it-in-a-sentence/455916 "2008-07-10T00:41:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-obscure-word-its-definition-and-use-it-in-a-sentence/455916/61 "2008-07-12T09:03:40Z")
Onomatopoeia: A word or grouping of words that imitates the sound it is describing “Oh God, what an onomatopoeic family, I thought. For Christ’s sake don’t put a bang-shang-a-lang on them Pops–they might make poopy-kaka in their pants.” (On the rare occasion that I get to use this word I have to use my favorite quote from _Christine_, by Stephen King. It’s too brilliant not to use. This has come up twice today, I can’t believe it. 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-obscure-word-its-definition-and-use-it-in-a-sentence/455916/62 "2008-07-12T14:53:12Z")
bricolage: something made up from whatever is on hand My stir-fry dinner could be described as a bricolage with a vaguely Asian feel. Obvioulsy everyone here is a word-fanatic, does everyone subscribe to [Wordsmith’s Word a Day](http://wordsmith.org/awad/subscribe.html) service? ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-obscure-word-its-definition-and-use-it-in-a-sentence/455916/63 "2008-07-12T16:36:17Z")
footle: to behave foolishly, to waste time “The Straight Dope Message Board is the Shangri-La of footling.” ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-obscure-word-its-definition-and-use-it-in-a-sentence/455916/64 "2008-07-14T06:36:25Z")
[QUOTE=maladroit] defenestration - to throw out the window (derived from fenestration which I understand to mean the placement of windows in a facade) When I found my honey to be unfaithful his worldly goods were defenestrated. [/QUOTE] A small nitpick or correction: while fenestration may mean the placement of windows in a facade\* in English\*, I’d say that the meaning of the word derives not from this meaning but from the latin roots, i.e. “de-”(of or from) “-fenestra-” (window) and “-ation” (the act of). I’m not drawing this from a reference work, so I might have it a little off, but I think the point stands that the derivation does not have to do with the placement of windows. I may be wrong, but I’d also bet that the word is a later (medieval, renaissance or enlightenment) coining. ---
**Author:** ![Anaglyph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Anaglyph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaglyph)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-obscure-word-its-definition-and-use-it-in-a-sentence/455916/65 "2008-07-14T07:07:28Z")
[QUOTE=Mr. Excellent] Interesting word - what’s the derivation? The obvious connection is to Calypso, the sea nymph Odysseus hooked up with - but that sounds a bit too pat to be right. [/QUOTE] from [world wide words](http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-cal3.htm) , a rich source of obscure words Callipygian-Having well-shaped buttocks. This is a word about which it would be possible to generate many bad puns, thereby making an ass of oneself and becoming the butt of jokes. The subject matter — and the rather beautiful form of the word itself — has lent itself to adoption by word-hungry authors, even though the first recorded use was only in 1880. Thomas Pynchon wrote in Gravity’s Rainbow: “Those dusky Afro-Scandinavian buttocks, which combine the callipygian rondure observed among the races of the Dark Continent with the taut and noble musculature of sturdy Olaf, our blond Northern cousin”. Its origin is in Greek kallipugos, used to describe a famous statue of Aphrodite; that comes from kallos, beauty (as in calligraphy, or callisthenics, or the lily called hemerocallis) plus puge, buttocks. ---
**Author:** ![Dottygumdrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Dottygumdrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dottygumdrop)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-obscure-word-its-definition-and-use-it-in-a-sentence/455916/66 "2008-07-14T07:23:22Z")
**moribund** : dying, near death, verging on extinction Unfortunately, it seems that the study and proper use of grammar is moribund. **obfuscate** : to confuse, bewilder or stupefy Why use clear, simple language when you can obfuscate your readers with esoteric verbiage? ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-obscure-word-its-definition-and-use-it-in-a-sentence/455916/67 "2008-07-14T08:11:12Z")
[QUOTE=Malacandra] A term of address used by Screwtape in his final letter to Wormwood, too, and if not actually _hapax legomenon_ (“a word known to have been used only once”), still pretty damned uncommon. [/QUOTE] From the same source: “Tetter” - a vesicular skin disease. “He was subject to an incurable tetter” And while we’re at it: “Vesicular” - composed of membranous and usually fluid-filled pouches Usage see above 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![judikium](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@judikium](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/judikium)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-obscure-word-its-definition-and-use-it-in-a-sentence/455916/68 "2008-07-14T08:28:21Z")
schussboomer /'shoos-,boo-muhr/ : a skier who skis directly down a hill at high speeds At most ski resorts, schussboomers are discouraged and are sometimes kicked off the runs if caught. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-obscure-word-its-definition-and-use-it-in-a-sentence/455916/69 "2008-07-14T09:35:04Z")
zzxjoanw drum, fife, or conclusion “I came to the zzxjoanw that the cacaphony of zzxjoanws is anathema to me.” Actually, this turns out to be a fictitious entry, the dictionary equivalent of traps streets on maps. When I was an obnoxious teenager, I wrote [this rather sequipedalian bit of prose](http://www.memesmith.com/poems/sesquipedalian.html) . ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-obscure-word-its-definition-and-use-it-in-a-sentence/455916/70 "2008-07-14T10:53:24Z")
Chiasmus - a figure in prose or poetry whereby the verb/noun order is reversed between two adjacent phrases for emphatic or ornamental effect. "In this famous chorus from Haydn’s _Creation_ we see an instance of the chiasmus: _The heavens are telling the glory of God; the wonder of his works displays the firmament_. Note the third-person singular verb in the second phrase: it is the firmament that is displaying the wonder of his works, and not the other way around. So the first phrase is the familiar ‘subject-verb-object’ and the second echoes it with ‘object-verb-subject’ " ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-obscure-word-its-definition-and-use-it-in-a-sentence/455916/71 "2008-07-14T11:45:25Z")
Blatherskite: a verbose person, who talks nonsense My professor is such a blatherskite, he makes no sense at all! ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-obscure-word-its-definition-and-use-it-in-a-sentence/455916/72 "2008-07-14T12:14:24Z")
**hurple** –The act of lowering your neck and raising your sholders in response to cold weather. And when I hurple My neck turns purple. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-obscure-word-its-definition-and-use-it-in-a-sentence/455916/73 "2008-07-14T13:43:41Z")
**Proxyglossariasis** - A condition whereby instead of saying the word you mean, you say the next word in the dictionary.\* _Professor Smith has a terrible case of Proxyglossariasis- have you read his thesis on the Knights Temporary during the Crusades?_ \*Yes, I stole this from an episode of Duckman, but it’s a great word and it deserves wider recognition, IMHO. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-obscure-word-its-definition-and-use-it-in-a-sentence/455916/74 "2008-07-14T14:13:39Z")
iracund: easily angered, irascible The list of iracund Dopers would be quite extensive. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-obscure-word-its-definition-and-use-it-in-a-sentence/455916/75 "2008-07-14T14:15:04Z")
**fooster** , _v.i._ (Irish English) To dither, potter, or mess, typically followed with _around_. (“The crowd could hear him rootin and searchin and _foosterin_ around” - Flann O’Brien) See also Yiddish **futz**. ---
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-obscure-word-its-definition-and-use-it-in-a-sentence/455916/76 "2008-07-14T14:31:46Z")
\*\*quincunx \*\*- an arrangement of five spots; four in the form of a square with the fifth spot in the centre (like the five on a regular die). \*\*squamous \*\*- scaly. “His squamous skin, peppered with a quincunx of pimples, repulsed me.” ---
**Author:** ![Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d9b06d/32.png) [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-obscure-word-its-definition-and-use-it-in-a-sentence/455916/77 "2008-07-14T14:38:43Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] Callipygian: having exceptionally shapely buttocks. “Denise looks alright from behind, I guess, but Simone is _callipygian_” [/QUOTE] Bathycolpian: deep-bosomed. A companion word to Callipygian, I’ve always thought. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-obscure-word-its-definition-and-use-it-in-a-sentence/455916/78 "2008-07-14T15:00:44Z")
I claim band name rights to **Quincunx of Pimples**. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-obscure-word-its-definition-and-use-it-in-a-sentence/455916/79 "2008-07-14T15:13:26Z")
[QUOTE=maladroit] defenestration - to throw out the window (derived from fenestration which I understand to mean the placement of windows in a facade) When I found my honey to be unfaithful his worldly goods were defenestrated. [/QUOTE] Psst… see post #25. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-obscure-word-its-definition-and-use-it-in-a-sentence/455916/80 "2008-07-14T22:43:03Z")
Sanbenito: n. - Spanish Inquisition garment resembling a scapular, either yellow with red St. Andrew’s crosses for penitent heretics or black and decorated with friars and devils for impenitent heretics at an auto-da-fé. Whoever approved that _New Yorker_ magazine cover of Obama as a Muslim and Michelle as a 70s radical should be made to don a black sanbenito, then set afire. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-obscure-word-its-definition-and-use-it-in-a-sentence/455916.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-obscure-word-its-definition-and-use-it-in-a-sentence/455916.md?page=5)